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| HighNote Records Signs Tom Harrell  HighNote Records announced the signing of acclaimed jazz trumpeter Tom Harrell to a multi-disc contract. Harrell, who received a Grammy nomination in 1999 for his big band recording Time's Mirror was voted Best Trumpeter in both the 1996 Downbeat Critics and Readers Polls and the Jazz Times Reader's Poll of 1997. The trumpeter is scheduled to begin recording at Rudy Van Gelder Studios on December 5th with his current band consisting of saxophonist Wayne Escoffery, pianist Danny Grissett, bassist Ugonna Ukegwo and drummer Jonathan Blake. The as yet-named project, the first of a series of titles to be released on the Manhattan-based jazz label founded and run by music industry veteran Joe Fields, will be the trumpeter's 21st recording as a leader and first release since 2003's Wise Children."I've always enjoyed Tom's work and take advantage of every chance to see him in concert so I'm understandably delighted the opportunity arose for us to record him and help distribute his music internationally, " Fields said. "Tom's a stellar addition our roster and this first project will be a special one as it's not a thrown together session but will feature him with his working band coming right off a hot SRO week at the Village Vanguard, " Fields added. Renowned internationally for a distinctive trumpet sound that combines the power of Clifford Brown with the lyricism of Chet Baker, Harrell has been hailed by The Los Angeles Times for "...[spinning] out improvisational lines filled with instant melodies. Like a lyricist who illuminates phrases with subtle internal rhymes, Harrell's soloing captivates both the hearts and the minds of his listeners." Born in Urbana, IL, in 1946 and raised in Northern California, the trumpeter was in his 20s when he began touring with Stan Kenton (1969), Woody Herman (1970-1971) and Horace Silver (1973-1977). Moving to New York City in the mid-'70s Harrell played with Cecil Payne and Bill Evans (1979), Lee Konitz's Nonet (1979-1981) and George Russell (1982). Harrell then toured internationally with the Phil Woods Quintet (1983-1989) before embarking in earnest on a solo career during which he made recordings for Contemporary, Chesky and BMG (RCA / Bluebird). In 2006 Harrell received a grant by Chamber Music America and the French American Cultural Exchange to compose new pieces for a trumpet-piano duo project to be premiered in a series of concerts with the French pianist Baptiste Trotignon write your comments about the article :: © 2006 Jazz News :: home page |