Tom Harrell: Biography

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• Discography
• Biography
• Related Artists

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• Art Farmer
• Bill Hardman
• Lee Morgan
• Howard McGhee
• Wilbur Harden
• Woody Shaw
• Kenny Wheeler

• Freddie Hubbard
• Blue Mitchell
• Kenny Dorham
• Clifford Brown
• Miles Davis/Charlie Parker
• Dizzy Gillespie

• Jon Crowley

• Greg Marvin

• Lorenz Hart
• Joe Roccisano

• The Players Association

• Mark Murphy
• Hal Galper
• Ronnie Cuber
• Horace Silver
• Phil Woods
• Bill Goodwin
• Joe Lovano

Born:

Jun 16, 1946 in Urbana, IL

Genres:

Classical Music, Jazz Music, Bop Jazz Music

Decades Active:

1970's|1980's|1990's|2000's

Artistic Quality

Medium

Cultural Impact

Low

Popularity

Low

Ratings Guide

Tom Harrell has managed to fight courageously (and successfully) against schizophrenia to become one of jazz's top trumpeters of the 1980s and '90s and well into the new millennium. Onstage, he is totally focused on his playing and seems to only come alive when he is improvising. Harrell grew up in Northern California and toured with Stan Kenton (1969), Woody Herman (19701971), and Horace Silver (19731977). He moved to New York in the mid'70s, and played during this period with Cecil Payne, Bill Evans (1979), the Lee Konitz Nonet (19791981), and George Russell (1982). Harrell traveled the world with the Phil Woods Quintet (19831989) and went on to generally lead his own bands, recording for Contemporary and Chesky before landing at RCA for 1996's Labyrinth; subsequent outings include 1997's The Art of Rhythm, 1999's Time's Mirror, 2001's Paradise, and 2003's Wise Children. In 2007, Harrell moved to High Note and released Light On. In 2009, Harrell continued in a similar vein with the atmospheric Prana Dance. His style mixes together the power of Clifford Brown with the lyricism of Chet Baker.

- Scott Yanow, All Music Guide