Joel Harrison Biography
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 27 July 1957, New York City, New York, USA. Playing guitar, Harrison studied composition at Bard College, continuing to work with esteemed tutors such as Ali Akbar Khan, William Mathieu and Henry Threadgill. Throughout his career, he has displayed an interest in many area of music, including those of India, the Far East and the Middle East. Not surprisingly, he has ventured into the worlds of jazz, blues, country, pop and classical music. Among Harrison’s eclectic projects has been the formation of a string choir comprising Christian Howes (violin), Sam Bardfeld (violin), Jeremy Kittel (viola), Choi Heun (cello), with which he has performed the music of drummer Paul Motian. He also headed a project that performed music by or associated with George Harrison, and which he recorded. Playing with Harrison in some of his groups have been saxophonists David Binney and David Liebman, pianists Uri Caine and Art Lande, organists Gary Versace and Rob Burger, guitarists Liberty Ellman and Nguyên Lê, accordionist Will Holhauser, bass players Todd Sickafoose, Stephan Crump and Gildas Boclé, percussionists Satoshi Takeishi, Danny Weiss, Todd Isler and Jamey Haddad and vocalists Norah Jones and Jen Chapin.
Harrison has composed scores for films and television, including American Babylon (2000) and Ten Days That Unexpectedly Changed America: Scopes - The Battle Over America’s Soul (2006), and he has been recipient of several grants and awards, including those from Arts International, NYSCA, the Jazz Composer’s Alliance and MacDowell Colony and VCCA. His 2007 release, Harbor, was commissioned by the French American Jazz Exchange and Chamber Music America.
Source: The Encyclopedia of Popular Music by Colin Larkin. Licensed from Muze.
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27 July 1957, New York City, New York, USA. Playing guitar, Harrison studied composition at Bard College, continuing to work with esteemed tutors such as Ali Akbar Khan, William Mathieu and Henry Threadgill. Throughout his career, he has displayed an interest in many area of music, including those of India, the Far East and the Middle East. Not surprisingly, he has ventured into the worlds of jazz, blues, country, pop and classical music. Among Harrison’s eclectic projects has been the formation of a string choir comprising Christian Howes (violin), Sam Bardfeld (violin), Jeremy Kittel (viola), Choi Heun (cello), with which he has performed the music of drummer Paul Motian. He also headed a project that performed music by or associated with George Harrison, and which he recorded. Playing with Harrison in some of his groups have been saxophonists David Binney and David Liebman, pianists Uri Caine and Art Lande, organists Gary Versace and Rob Burger, guitarists Liberty Ellman and Nguyên Lê, accordionist Will Holhauser, bass players Todd Sickafoose, Stephan Crump and Gildas Boclé, percussionists Satoshi Takeishi, Danny Weiss, Todd Isler and Jamey Haddad and vocalists Norah Jones and Jen Chapin.