Tom Harrell (born June 16, 1946) is a renowned
AmericanThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
post-bopPost-bop is a term for a form of small-combo jazz music that evolved in the early-to-mid sixties. The genre's origins lie in seminal work by John Coltrane, Miles Davis, Bill Evans, Charles Mingus, Wayne Shorter and Herbie Hancock...
jazzJazz is a musical art form which originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States from a confluence of African and European music traditions....
trumpeter and composer.
Tom Harrell was born in
Urbana, IllinoisUrbana is the county seat of Champaign County, Illinois, United States. As of the 2007 population estimates, the population was 39,484. The city was named after Urbana, Ohio.-Geography:Urbana is located at ....
and began playing the trumpet at age eight. He soon moved to the
San Francisco Bay AreaThe San Francisco Bay Area, commonly known as the Bay Area, or the Yay Area, is a metropolitan region that surrounds the San Francisco and San Pablo estuaries in Northern California. The region encompasses large cities such as San Francisco, Oakland, and San Jose, along with smaller urban and...
, and was gigging with local bands by age thirteen. In 1969 he graduated from
Stanford UniversityThe Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university located in Stanford, California, United States...
with a music composition degree and joined
Stan KentonStanley Newcomb Kenton was a pianist who led a highly innovative, influential, and often controversial American jazz orchestra. In later years he was widely active as an educator.- Early life :...
's orchestra, touring and recording with them throughout 1969.
After leaving Kenton, Harrell played with
Woody HermanWoodrow Charles Herman , better known as Woody Herman, was an American jazz clarinetist, alto and soprano saxophonist, singer, and big band leader. Leading various groups called "The Herd," Herman was one of the most popular of the 1930s and '40s bandleaders...
's big band (1970-1971),
AztecaAzteca was a Latin jazz-rock-fusion group formed in 1972, started by Coke Escovedo and his brother Pete Escovedo, who had just finished stints with Latin rock pioneering band Santana...
(1972), the
Horace SilverHorace Silver , born Horace Ward Martin Tavares Silva in Norwalk, Connecticut, is an American jazz pianist and composer. His father, who was known as John Tavares Silva, was from the island of Maio in Cape Verde. His mother was born in New Canaan, Connecticut and was of Irish-African descent...
Quintet (1973-1977), the
Sam JonesSamuel Jones was a jazz bassist, cellist, and composer.Jones played with Bobby Timmons, Tiny Bradshaw, Les Jazz Modes, Kenny Dorham, Illinois Jacquet, Freddie Hubbard, Dizzy Gillespie and Thelonious Monk...
big band, the
Lee KonitzLee Konitz is an American jazz composer and alto saxophonist born in Chicago, Illinois.Generally considered one of the driving forces of Cool Jazz, Konitz has also performed successfully in bebop and avant-garde settings...
Nonet (1979-1981),
George RussellGeorge Allen Russell was an American jazz pianist, composer and theorist. He is considered one of the first jazz musicians to contribute to general music theory with a theory of harmony based on Jazz rather than European music, in his book, The Lydian Chromatic Concept of Tonal Organization...
, the
Mel LewisMel Lewis was a drummer, jazz musician and band leader. He was born in Buffalo, New York to Russian immigrant parents. His birth name was Melvin Sokoloff.-Biography:...
Orchestra (1981), and
Charlie HadenCharles Edward Haden is an American jazz musician. He is a double bassist, probably best known for his long association with saxophonist Ornette Coleman...
's Liberation Orchestra.
Tom Harrell (born June 16, 1946) is a renowned
AmericanThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
post-bopPost-bop is a term for a form of small-combo jazz music that evolved in the early-to-mid sixties. The genre's origins lie in seminal work by John Coltrane, Miles Davis, Bill Evans, Charles Mingus, Wayne Shorter and Herbie Hancock...
jazzJazz is a musical art form which originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States from a confluence of African and European music traditions....
trumpeter and composer.
Biography
Tom Harrell was born in
Urbana, IllinoisUrbana is the county seat of Champaign County, Illinois, United States. As of the 2007 population estimates, the population was 39,484. The city was named after Urbana, Ohio.-Geography:Urbana is located at ....
and began playing the trumpet at age eight. He soon moved to the
San Francisco Bay AreaThe San Francisco Bay Area, commonly known as the Bay Area, or the Yay Area, is a metropolitan region that surrounds the San Francisco and San Pablo estuaries in Northern California. The region encompasses large cities such as San Francisco, Oakland, and San Jose, along with smaller urban and...
, and was gigging with local bands by age thirteen. In 1969 he graduated from
Stanford UniversityThe Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university located in Stanford, California, United States...
with a music composition degree and joined
Stan KentonStanley Newcomb Kenton was a pianist who led a highly innovative, influential, and often controversial American jazz orchestra. In later years he was widely active as an educator.- Early life :...
's orchestra, touring and recording with them throughout 1969.
After leaving Kenton, Harrell played with
Woody HermanWoodrow Charles Herman , better known as Woody Herman, was an American jazz clarinetist, alto and soprano saxophonist, singer, and big band leader. Leading various groups called "The Herd," Herman was one of the most popular of the 1930s and '40s bandleaders...
's big band (1970-1971),
AztecaAzteca was a Latin jazz-rock-fusion group formed in 1972, started by Coke Escovedo and his brother Pete Escovedo, who had just finished stints with Latin rock pioneering band Santana...
(1972), the
Horace SilverHorace Silver , born Horace Ward Martin Tavares Silva in Norwalk, Connecticut, is an American jazz pianist and composer. His father, who was known as John Tavares Silva, was from the island of Maio in Cape Verde. His mother was born in New Canaan, Connecticut and was of Irish-African descent...
Quintet (1973-1977), the
Sam JonesSamuel Jones was a jazz bassist, cellist, and composer.Jones played with Bobby Timmons, Tiny Bradshaw, Les Jazz Modes, Kenny Dorham, Illinois Jacquet, Freddie Hubbard, Dizzy Gillespie and Thelonious Monk...
big band, the
Lee KonitzLee Konitz is an American jazz composer and alto saxophonist born in Chicago, Illinois.Generally considered one of the driving forces of Cool Jazz, Konitz has also performed successfully in bebop and avant-garde settings...
Nonet (1979-1981),
George RussellGeorge Allen Russell was an American jazz pianist, composer and theorist. He is considered one of the first jazz musicians to contribute to general music theory with a theory of harmony based on Jazz rather than European music, in his book, The Lydian Chromatic Concept of Tonal Organization...
, the
Mel LewisMel Lewis was a drummer, jazz musician and band leader. He was born in Buffalo, New York to Russian immigrant parents. His birth name was Melvin Sokoloff.-Biography:...
Orchestra (1981), and
Charlie HadenCharles Edward Haden is an American jazz musician. He is a double bassist, probably best known for his long association with saxophonist Ornette Coleman...
's Liberation Orchestra. In addition, he recorded albums with
Bill EvansWilliam John Evans was an American jazz pianist. His use of impressionist harmony, inventive interpretation of traditional jazz repertoire, and trademark rhythmically independent, "singing" melodic lines influenced a generation of pianists, including Herbie Hancock, John Taylor, Steve Kuhn, Don...
,
Dizzy GillespieJohn Birks "Dizzy" Gillespie was an American jazz trumpeter, bandleader, singer, and composer.Together with Charlie Parker, he was a major figure in the development of bebop and modern jazz...
,
Ronnie CuberRonnie Cuber is primarily a jazz baritone saxophonist. He has also played in Latin, pop, rock and blues sessions. In addition to baritone sax, he has also played soprano sax and flute, the latter on an album by Eddie Palmieri. As a leader, Cuber is known for hard bop and Latin jazz...
,
Bob BrookmeyerRobert Brookmeyer is an American jazz valve trombonist, pianist, and arranger.-Biography:Born in Kansas City, Missouri, Brookmeyer first gained widespread public attention as a member of Gerry Mulligan's quartet from 1954 to 1957...
,
Lionel HamptonLionel Leo Hampton , was an American jazz vibraphonist, pianist, percussionist, bandleader and actor. Like Red Norvo, he was one of the first jazz vibraphone players. Hampton ranks among the great names in jazz history, having worked with a who's who of jazz musicians, from Benny Goodman and Buddy...
,
Bob BergBob Berg was a jazz saxophonist originally from Brooklyn, New York City. He started his musical education at the age of six when he began studying classical piano. He began playing the saxophone at the age of thirteen...
,
Bobby ShewBobby Shew is a renowned jazz trumpet and flugelhorn player.-Honors:*Outstanding in His Field - Grammy nomination *Heavy Company - Jazz Album of the Year -References:*Bobby Shew at *Bobby Shew at...
, among others. From 1983-1989 he was a pivotal member of the
Phil WoodsPhilip Wells Woods is an American jazz bebop alto saxophonist, clarinetist, bandleader and composer.-Biography:...
Quintet, with whom he toured the world and made many recordings.
Since 1989 Harrell has led his own groups; usually quintets but occasionally big bands. He has appeared at virtually every major jazz club and festival, and recorded under his own name for such record labels as Pinnacle, Blackhawk, Criss Cross,
SteepleChaseSteeplechase may refer to:* Steeplechase, an event in horse racing* Steeplechase , an event in athletics that derives its name from the steeplechase in horse racing* Steeplechase , an event in dog agility...
,
Contemporary RecordsContemporary Records was a jazz record label founded by Lester Koenig in 1951 in Los Angeles. Contemporary was known for seminal recordings embodying the West Coast sound, but also released recordings by jazz artists known throughout the world...
,
CheskyChesky Records is a record label aimed primarily at audiophiles. For the most part, jazz, Latin jazz, classical, and adult contemporary CDs and DVDs are produced, but they also manufacture high end audio equipment. The label was founded and is run by grammy nominated composer David Chesky and his...
, and
RCARCA Corporation, founded as Radio Corporation of America, was an electronics company in existence from 1919 to 1986. Currently, the RCA trademark is owned by the French conglomerate Thomson SA through RCA Trademark Management S.A., a company owned by Thomson...
. Harrell is currently represented by Addeo Music International (AMI).
Schizophrenia
Harrell suffers from paranoid schizophrenia. Despite this condition's usually paralyzing effects, Mr. Harrell is able to play trumpet at an extraordinary skill level that has brought him many record deals and was awarded Down Beat Magazine's readers' and critics' polls Best Trumpeter of 1996. Through music and medication, Mr. Harrell is able to cope with his illness. When he plays his trumpet, the effects of his illness nearly disappear.
External links