Ace Harris

Asa " Ace" Harris ( born April 1, 1910 in New York City; † June 11, 1964 in Chicago) was an American pianist, singer, arranger and band leader in the field of rhythm & blues and jazz.

Life and work

Harris learned as a child playing the piano and played during the 1930s in various territory bands, 1932 at Billy stewards band Celery City Serenaders, which toured regularly from Florida by the seaside resorts on the east coast of the USA, and from 1935 with Bill Mears ' Sunset Royal Serenaders. In 1937, Harris took over after the death of frontman Steve Washington managing the Sunset Royal Serenaders and played on October 25, 1937 some of the titles like Hurly Burly and Rhythm ' Bout Town for Vocalion as Ace Harris & his Sunset Royal Orchestra one, whose musicians also the bassist Al Lucas belonged. He then worked until 1939 with the group, and then to stay in New York.

In early 1944, Harris took on with Hot Lips Page, and then worked as a musician and arranger in the Erskine Hawkins Orchestra, created with the recordings. His boogie -woogie piano and his vocals can be heard in tracks like Caldonia (# 2 R & B charts in 1945 ), Let's Have Fun Tonight ( 1946) and Hawk 's Boogie (# 2, 1947). He remained until 1947 when Hawkins and worked again 1950/51 in his orchestra when he helped with the recordings for Coral as in its last R & R chart success Tennessee Waltz, who in 1950 rose to # 6 of the hit parade. He worked with recordings for Apollo ( Blue Keys / Wee Gee Blues, 1951) even with Bobby Smith.

Harris took to 1945-47 under its own name for the label stroke and Sterling with smaller formations such as Lucky Millinder DERs Shorty 's Got to Go. In his band played alongside vocalist Manhattan Paul and others also saxophonist Eddie " Lockjaw " Davis and bassist Grachan Moncur II More pictures were taken 1950/51 with a jump blues band for Coral ( Two Wrong Neve Made a Right / sentimental Tears ). Recent recordings under his own name, he played a 1953 Brunswick ( Please Do not Put Me Down). In the same year he finished his activities as a bandleader and moved to Chicago to perform as a soloist. In 1954 he had an engagement at Cloister Inn in Chicago. With the Erskine Hawkins band in 1955 he took on some singles such as Put Your Feet Down on the Ground for Decca, the following year he was a guest soloist on his LP After Hours. In 1956, he looked even more with at Sil Austin Hit Slow Walk; in the following years became Ace Harris into oblivion, and died in June 1964 at the age of 54 years in Chicago.

His daughter is a singer Asa in Gene Esposito Jazz Orchestra in Chicago.

Disco Graphical Notes

  • The Chronological Ace Harris 1937-52 ( Jazz Classics, ed 2004)
  • Buddy Charles & Ace Harris: Zonky ( Audo Fidelity)
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