stefon harris
When he left his native Albany, NY to study in New York City he was a classical trained percussionist. Now at 27, Stefon Harris is called “Jazz’s reigning ‘it’ man” by Newsweek Magazine. After winning the Empire State Youth Orchestra’s concerto competition (following just a single year of study) Stefon received a full scholarship to tour Europe as the ensemble’s feature artist. He performed with the Albany and Berkshire Symphonies and the Lancaster Festival Orchestra, and then attended Eastman College (NY) on a full merit scholarship. When a roommate played a Charlie Parker record for him, Stefon’s passion for Jazz exploded. He moved to New York City and immersed himself in the Jazz scene while finishing his B.A. in Classical Percussion at Manhattan School of Music. Along the way, Harris premiered the Mattus concerto for percussion under the direction of Kurt Masur. He received his MA in Jazz performance from Manhattan School of Music in May 1997.
With the release of his debut CD A Cloud of Red Dust, in 1998 Stefon was named Debut Artist of the Year by Jazz Times, Jazz Iz Downbeat Magazines and the New York Jazz Awards. His follow-up CD, Black Action Figure was nominated for a Grammy for Best Solo Instrumental. Mr. Harris won the Jazz Iz Magazine Readers Poll 2000 (Best Vibes) and the Jazz Journalists Awards 2000 (Best Vibes). He has been featured on the cover of Jazz Iz Magazine (March 2000) and has performed on Good Morning America, Saturday Night Live and CNN Showbiz. He is the 1997 recipient of the prestigious Martin Segal Award from Lincoln Center given to outstanding young artists
His diverse talents have allowed Stefon to work with artists from classical to hip–hop including The Lincoln Center Chamber Music Society, Chaka Khan and Common. He has recorded with Joe Henderson, Buster Williams, Steve Turre, Charlie Hunter,Cassandra Wilson, Wynton Marsalis and Cyrus Chestnut and performed with Lionel Hampton, Milt Jackson, Shirley Scott, Tony Williams, Bobby Watson, and James Moody among others.
Stefon has led master classes and clinics around the world. In 2001 he will debut and tour a commissioned ten movement Jazz suite.