Tom Harrell

Tom Harrell ( born June 16, 1946 in Urbana, Illinois) is an American jazz trumpeter and composer. Besides the trumpet, he also plays flugelhorn.

Life and work

Tom Harrell was born in Urbana (Illinois ) and started to learn the trumpet at age eight. Soon he moved with his parents to San Francisco. There, he performed at age 13 on with local bands. In 1969 he completed his studies at Stanford University and was a member of Stan Kenton's orchestra, went on tour with the orchestra and participated in recordings. After leaving Kenton's band, he played with the Woody Herman Big Band (1970-1971), Azteca (1972 ), the Horace Silver Quintet ( 1973-1974 ), the Sam Jones Big Band, Lee Konitz Nonet the ( 1979-1981 ), George Russell, the Mel Lewis Orchestra (1981 ), and Charlie Haden 's Liberation Music Orchestra. In addition, he recorded with Bill Evans, Dizzy Gillespie, Bob Brookmeyer, Lionel Hampton and others. From 1983 to 1989 he was a key member of the Phil Woods Quintet, toured the world and made numerous recordings. Phil Woods, it was he who encouraged Harrell in his work as a composer:

" Although I have already pursued a solo career when I played with Phil Woods, he was the one who encouraged me to write my own pieces. "

Since 1989 he has his own band, usually in a quintet lineup, sometimes in big band occupation. There is hardly a major jazz club or a jazz festival, where it has not occurred. He took on numerous jazz labels, including Pinnacle, Blackhawk, Criss Cross, Steeple Chase, Contemporary Records, Chesky and RCA. For his recordings he could win Farmer as sidemen musicians such as Kenny Garrett, Kenny Barron, John Scofield, Joe Lovano, Danilo Perez, Leon Parker, Billy Hart, Charlie Haden, Reggie Johnson or kind. The two publications Light On from 2007 and Prana Dance from 2009 played Harrel in quintet with Wayne Escoffery (tenor saxophone), Danny Grissett ( Fender Rhodes and piano), Ugonna Okegwo (bass) and Jonathan Blake ( drums) a.

Disease

Tom Harrell has to fight off the stage with a severe impairment because he suffers from schizophrenia. When he's not playing, he stands with bowed head and vacant eyes on the stage. If he is to play a solo, he walks slowly to the microphone and raises his head only to play. He then resumes its original position.

The psychotropic drugs that he needs to take to be reasonably cope with his illness in normal life, have side effects such as muscle twitching or weight gain. For newer drugs, the side effects are less serious.

Discography (selection)

Phil Woods: Heaven ( Evidence, 1986) with Hal Galper, Steve Gilmore and Bill Goodwin
Jim Hall: Dialogues ( Telarc, 1995) with Bill Frisell, Gil Goldstein, Joe Lovano and Mike Stern
Sail Away ( Original Jazz Classics, 2003, recording 1989) with James Williams, Ray Drummond and Adam Nussbaum
Light On (High Note Records, 2007) with Wayne Escoffery, Danny Grissett, Ugonna Okegwo and Johnathan Blake
Prana Dance ( High Note Records, 2009) with Wayne Escoffery, Danny Grissett, Ugonna Okegwo and Johnathan Blake
The Time of the Sun ( High Note Records, 2011)
Number Five (High Note Records, 2012)

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