Harlem Jazz Hero
When Craig Harris exploded onto the jazz scene of New York City in 1976 in the company of a creative coterie including saxophonist David Murray and cornetist Lawrence Douglas “Butch” Morris, he brought the entire history of the jazz trombone with him, from the growling gutbucket intensity of early New Orleans music to the confrontational expressionism of the ‘60s avant-garde. Ever since, he’s expanded his sphere of activities into multimedia and performance art as composer, performer, conceptualist, music curator and artistic director, embodying the practice of using art as a cultural facilitation to help promote change.
As a musician and community activist, Craig is recognized today as a historical instigator, preserving and exposing jazz to Harlem — a neighborhood, a district, almost a town unto itself. Since the mid-1980s he’s been presenting jazz concerts in Harlem, more as community gatherings than commercial presentations, attracting audiences looking for alternatives to night clubs.
Harris’ first series began at the Shadow Image Photography studio and continued for two years. In 2007, he presented the “Three on Three” concert series at Mt. Morris Ascension Presbyterian Church. In 2015 Harris and two friends founded Harlem Jazz Boxx, presenting weekly jazz concerts on Tuesday afternoons and Friday evenings at Calvary Baptist Church. The huge church space made it possible for the series to continue with social distancing and masks during the Covid-19 pandemice, and is now set to return after a years’s absence, with less CDC restrictions, on April 1.
“There are so many great churches that are being under-used in Harlem,” notes Harris. “The rental fee we pay helps the churches in a small way, so it’s a win-win for both of us.” He’s also used his Harlem brownstone to present “parlor concerts” of the sort that were so popular here during the 1940s.
“There’s nothing like doing concerts at home and watching your community grow,” says Harris. “It liberates you. We are building an audience, bringing the music to a new generation.”
Last year, with a Jazz Road grant from South Arts, Harris introduced Harlem Sonic Communiversity, a music residency series featuring open rehearsals and free public concerts. This approach is the same used many years ago when Jimmie Lunceford and other big band leaders rehearsed in public places.
“I am part of a great group of people,” Harris maintains, identifying his lineage. “Sun Ra had an incredible presence in Harlem, too — he was about building in his own community. We have to build where we live.”
Harris puts his all into everything he does, with one notable example being the 2016 Harlem concert of his composition “Breathe,” a statement in response to the long term and current societal injustices inflicted upon African-American people. His music rings through the score for the Oscar-winning 2020 film Judas and the Black Messiah nominated by the NAACP Image Awards for Outstanding Soundtrack/Compilation album — he was co-composer. His latest recording, Managing the Mask, is a reflection on Covid-19, released in autumn 2021.
“I have a team of people,” Harris says, “who work with me to make all this happen. When I’m on the road they all step up. We will keep this music striving in Harlem.” On the road, at home, even on record Jazz Hero Craig Harris serves as a jazz ambassador, inviting the world into Harlem and bringing Harlem to the world. — Ron Scott and South Arts
