Bill Harris (musician)

Bill Harris (October 28, 1916 – August 21, 1973) was a jazz trombonist.

Biography
Early in his career, Harris performed with Benny Goodman, Charlie Barnet, and Eddie Condon. He is remembered for his broad, thick tone and quick vibrato that remained for the duration of each tone. He joined Woody Herman's First Herd in 1944. He was also in the Four Brothers Second Herd during the late 1940s, and he worked with Herman again in the 1950s. He then teamed up with Charlie Ventura and later with Chubby Jackson. Together with Flip Phillips, he became a stalwart of Benny Goodman's group in 1959, although it has been said that Goodman was frequently irritated at Harris because of Harris' indifferent approach to "sight-reading," the skill of playing previously unseen written music with fluency, an ability which Goodman and trumpeter Harry James bost possessed. As an improviser, Harris seemed comfortable playing among divergent stylists, as shown on "Jazz at the Philharmonic" recordings, as his "one-off" style seemed to work in any context, from Dixieland, to swing, or bebop.

His solo on "Bijou" with Herman remains a classic, while his idiosyncratic treatment of the ballad "Everything Happens to Me" is noted for its vocality, and his treatment of the ballad "Everywhere" was inspiration for Roswell Rudd's free-contrapuntal "Everywhere." Later, Harris worked in Las Vegas, finally retiring to Florida.

Discography

 Jack Teagarden, Benny Morton, Bill Harris, Vic Dickenson, Claude Jones: Trombone Time (Mercury, 1950)
 Bill Harris Collates (Clef Records,1953)

With Benny CarterBenny Carter Plays Pretty (Norgran, 1954)New Jazz Sounds (Norgran, 1954)
With Woody HermanSongs for Hip Lovers (Verve, 1957)
With Charlie ParkerBig Band (Clef, 1954)
With Billy Ver PlanckJazz for Playgirls  (Savoy 1957)
With Ben WebsterBill Harris and Friends'' (Fantasy 1957)

References

External links
 
 Article at Online Trombone Journal

Category:1916 births
Category:1973 deaths
Category:American jazz trombonists
Category:Male trombonists
Category:Capitol Records artists
Category:Musicians from Philadelphia
Category:20th-century American musicians
Category:20th-century trombonists
Category:People from Hallandale Beach, Florida
Category:Jazz musicians from Pennsylvania
Category:20th-century American male musicians
Category:Male jazz musicians
Category:Savoy Records artists
Category:Fantasy Records artists
Category:Mercury Records artists