Tenor Saxophonist Herb Harris was born in Washington D.C. July 8, 1968
He began his musical journey on clarinet at age 12. Upon entering High
School, he switched to alto saxophone, a more "manly" instrument in the
marching band, and switched to tenor saxophone at age 17. His interest in
jazz peaked when he heard a recording of John Coltrane's GIANT STEPS.
Early on, he admired the sound and style of Dexter Gordon. Other influnces
include Sonny Rollins, Sonny Stitt and Charlie Parker. Upon graduating
High school, Harris spent several years of study at Florida A&M Universitry. It was while attending the university that Harris
met and jammed with Marcus Roberts. He eventually would play with Roberts,
touring the states and Europe and recording with him on "Deep in The Shed"'
RCA/Novus. Harris also spent a short period with the Wynton Marsalis
Septet with whom he toured the states, Europe, and South America and
appeared on the soundtrack to "Tune In Tommorow"'COLUMBIA. He was also
featured in the group of saxists dubbed the "TOUGH YOUNG TENORS" on the
album "ALONE TOGETHER",ISLAND/ANTILLES(which reached #5 on Billboard's
Jazz Chart. Harris was a member of the second edition of the Jazz Futures,
which toured the states and Europe during the summer of 1992.
Mr. Harris embarked on his first tour as a leader in the Spring of 2002, with stops in Wash. DC,
Phila PA, Baltimore, MD, Rochester, NY, Montclair, NJ, Los Angeles CA, Santa Barbara CA,
Eugene, Oregon, and, of course, New York City. Herb Harris resides in New York City.