Kevin Harris

Associate Professor
Affiliated Departments
Piano
Faculty Bio E-Mail
kharris3@berklee.edu
Personal Websites
Kevin Harris's website

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New York– and Boston-based jazz pianist Kevin Harris's greatest desire is to constantly grow, evolve, improve, and advance. Harris plays a distinctive combination of traditional and contemporary music that seeks to celebrate the musical influences of Thelonious Monk and Miles Davis, intersecting with Johann Sebastian Bach, Scott Joplin, and the folkloric African rhythms of the Caribbean.

Career Highlights
  • Performances include the Upward Mothers Project (2019–2020) at the Kennedy Center, Washington, D.C., with Jason Palmer on trumpet, Tyson Jackson on drums, and Ron Mahdi on bass; the Kevin Harris Project (2019) at the Blue Note Jazz Club, Beijing, China, and Seoul, South Korea, with Hoguy Hwang on acoustic bass and Lee Fish on drums; and the Kevin Harris Project (2019) at the Alexander Platz Jazz Club in Rome, Italy, with Gregory Hutchinson on drums and Ameen Saleem on bass
  • Recordings include Bird Interpretations (2017) with Ben Street on bass and Francisco Mela on drums
Education
  • B.M.E., Morehead State University
  • M.M., New England Conservatory, jazz piano performance
In Their Own Words

"When I meet a student for the first time, I try not to prescribe a particular teaching philosophy or what I think they should learn, but instead I do my best to understand who they are, where they're coming from, what their musical background is, and where they want to go."

"My own musical roots were watered in Lexington, Kentucky. There, the black gospel experience was my first and most important music education, forming firm roots that I would later confidently plant into the important traditions of swing and Afro-Caribbean–based music in performances with Greg Osby, Francisco Mela, Eddie Gomez, Avishai Cohen, Jason Palmer, Jerry Bergonzi, Ameen Saleem, Gregory Hutchinson, and Terri Lyne Carrington, to name a few."

"I realize that each student at Berklee also brings a very special history of their own, and I have the opportunity to mold, water, and inspire that talent so that their roots may grow strong. We educators at Berklee have the privilege to pass on the same joy and knowledge to our students that were passed on to us."

"As a professional pianist, composer, and educator, I seek to better myself, my community, and my students. My local, national, and international experiences have helped to expand my artistic awareness not only as a teacher, but as a human being. I have the privilege to have been inspired by a lot of people and wonderful opportunities. Keeping this in mind, I have the honor to share this inspiration and experience with my students."

Additional Related Links
Kevin Harris's Instagram page
Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum's Luminary Profile on Kevin Harris

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