The following was adapted from the writings of Gene Lees and Philip Elwood.
Tenor saxophonist Harry Allen came on the New York mainstream-swing scene in the 1980s while he was still pursuing his music degree at Rutgers. He has been recording on smaller swing-oriented labels (Audiophile, Progressive, Nagel-Heyer) for a dozen years with groups that often included John Pizzarelli, guitar; Randy Sandke, trumpet, and Keith Ingham, piano - all first-rate mainstream swingers.
Stan Getz was once asked for his idea of the perfect tenor saxophone soloist. His answer-pianist Lou Levy was present and heard it-was, "My technique, Al Cohn's ideas, and Zoot's time," The fulfillment of that ideal may well be embodied in tenor saxophonist Harry Allen, who is so good that after several takes of a tune on a record date, arranger/composer Johnny Mandel said from the control booth, "Harry, would you mind screwing up on some of these to make our choices easier?"
No major record company is spending fortunes on publicity for Harry, His career is happening on its own. There is a lot of Zoot Sims in Harry Allen For one thing, he has Zoot's exhilarating time feeling, and he has captured that trick of Zoot's of leaping from the low register of the horn up to the top in a sort of celebratory sunburst. "Zoot was the master of that," Harry said "So was Stan."
Harry's work traces back to pre-Coltrane saxophone, One hears his admiration for Zoot, for Al Cohn, and for Ben Webster, which is manifest during ballads in a furry, breathy sound, But it could also be the influence of Paul Gonsalves, tenor soloist with Duke Ellington. Harry's father, Maurice, a drummer during the big band era went to high school and played with Gonsalves. Harry was listening to Paul with the Ellington band as far back as he can remember.
Harry Allen was born in Washington, D,C. on October 12, 1966. His family settled in Burrillville, Rhode Island after living in Los Angeles for several years. Both Harry and his sister studied accordion as children. Harry soon began to study clarinet, and then in junior high school switched to tenor. And all the while he was listening to his father's record collection, He was steeped in jazz and the standards before he ever heard rock and roll.
"A tenor player in Rhode Island named Nick Peters told me I should pick up a Scott Hamilton record. I heard that great sound be has and said, 'That's what I want to sound like,' Scott Hamilton was the first big influence on me. After that I learned about the guys who went before him. I learned about Zoot and Al and Stan Getz and Ben Webster and Coleman Hawkins and Lester Young and Illinois Jacquet and Flip Phillips," Harry said.
Harry studied at Rutgers University from 1984-88. The instructors at that time were Kenny Barron, Larry Ridley, and from 1985, baritone saxophonist Sahib Shihab, "The reason I went to Rutgers was to be around New York.... I thought that (going to) Rutgers would let me go into New York and hang out. And that's exactly what I did. My first year at Rutgers was the last year of Eddie Condon's club.... I'd go to hear Buddy Tate or Scott Hamilton or Al Klink or Illinois Jacquet", Harry said.
"Bucky and John (Pizzarelli) have.... been my biggest supporters in the music business. They have done so much for me. My other big supporters have been Major Holley and Oliver Jackson. I'm so grateful to them. Oliver was the first one to take me overseas. He took me on four or five overseas tours. He showed me the. ropes on how to lead a band, how to travel. He was just wonderful."
Since Oliver Jackson took him to Europe, Allen has enjoyed a steady and growing reputation there. He has made several albums for European labels; several have become available in the United States. Allen has made several albums for the German label Nagel-Heyer. His album A Little Touch of Harry has pianist Kenny Barron, George Mraz on bass, and Al Foster on drums. It was recorded at the legendary Nola Studios in New York, and is a class recording all the way.
BMG recording artist Harry Allen has twenty recordings to his name, and is about to record his eighth for BMG/RCA, Victor. Three of Harry's CDs have won Gold Disc Awards from Japan's Swing Journal Magazine, and his CD Tenors Anyone? won both the Gold Disc Award and the New Star Award. His recordings have made the top ten list for favorite new releases in Swing Journal's reader's poll and Jazz Journal International's critic's poll for 1997, and Fu Nao Quero Dancar (I Won't Dance), the third Gold Disc Award winner, was voted second for album of the year for 1998 by Swing Journal's reader's poll. Harry has performed at jazz festivals and clubs worldwide, frequently touring the United States, Europe, and the Far East. He has performed with Rosemary Clooney, Flip Phillips, Scott Hamilton, Harry 'Sweets' Edison, Kenny Burrell, John Pizzarelli, Bucky Pizzarelli, Gus Johnson, Jeff Hamilton, Terry Gibbs, Warren Vache, and has recorded with Johnny Mandel, Tommy Flanagan, Kenny Barron, Ddve McKenna, Dori Caymmi, Larry Goldings, George Mraz, Jake Hanna, Lewis Nash, and Al Foster, among others.
Harry is featured on many of John Pizzarelli's recordings including the sound track and an on-screen cameo in the feature film The Out of Towners starring Steve Martin and Goldie Hawn. He has also done a series of commercials for ESPN starring Robert Goulet.
On Harry Allen Plays Ellington Songs he is joined by pianist Bill Charlap, bassist Peter Washington and drummer Kenny Washington. So wonderfully musical and inventive is this trio that saxophonist Allen, with impeccable technique, glorious tone - little 'Trane, lots of Lester (Young) and Ben (Webster) - and an inherent swing, seems to be a fully integrated part or an ensemble that floats, through the 11 numbers as a collective, rather than an ad hoc assemblage of soloists. Maury Allen, Harry's father, played drums in post-war swing groups and grew up (in Newport, R.I.) with Ellington saxist Paul Gonsalves. Harry grew up hearing swing-era music, especially Ellington. By age 13 - already playing the sax - he heard young Scott Hamilton's early Concord Jazz LPs and from then on aimed at being a sax mainstreamer, not following the beyond-bebop crowd.
On that disc, the quartet is especially elegant on "Solitude," "Cottontail" and "Lush Life", and the sax-bass duet version (all 94 seconds of it) of "It Don't Mean a Thing (If It Ain't Got that Swing)" is marvelously lively and fun.
"Take the' A' Train " is performed only by Allen and pianist Charlap, which gives Charlap, especially, a chance to display his remarkable harmonic sense. The brilliance of performance, here is matched by the astonishing purity, and clarity of the recording.
DISCOGRAPHY
BMG/RCA Victor Recordings:
Harry Allen Plays Ellington Songs
Once Upon a Summertime
Day Dream
Eu Nao Quero Dancar (I Won't Dance)
Here's To Zoot
Tenors Anyone?
Harry Allen Meets John Pizzarelli Trio
And Look For Our Other Releases:
A little Touch of Harry - Master Mix Music
Live at Renouf's - Master Mix Music
Jazz im Amerika Haus - Nagel-Heyer Records
Blue Skies - John Marks Records
Live at Birdland, Vol. 1 & 2 - Nagel-Heyer Records
I'll Never Be the Same - Master Mix Music
I Know that You know - Master Mix Music
Someone to light Up My Life - Master Mix Music
A Celebration of Billy Strayhorn's Music, Vol. 1&2 - Progressive Records
A Celebration of Sammy Fain - Audiophile Records
How long Has This Been Going On? - Progressive Records
PERFORMING ARTISTS
Harry Allen Quartet
Leny Andrade
Paula Atherton
Louie Bellson
Heather Bennett Trio
Federico Britos & Frank Vignola "A Tribute to Reinhardt & Grappelli"
Jeanie Bryson Quintet
Julie Budd
Institutional Gospel Radio Choir
Sarah Jane Cion Trio
Freddy Cole
Richie Cole & Alto Madness
Orchestra
George Coleman Quartet
Chris Connor
Barbara Cook
Don Cornell
Joey DeFrancesco
Buddy DeFranco & Terry Gibbs
Dukes of Dixieland
Sonny Fortune
The Four Freshmen
The Four Lads
Chico Freeman
Chico Hamilton
Scott Hamilton Quartet
Jeff Hamilton Trio
Slide Hampton Quartet
Sir Roland Hanna
Billy Hart Group
Richie Havens
Jon Hendricks & Annie Ross
Bobby Hutcherson
Dick Hyman
Ahmad Jamal
The Jazz Crusaders
Stacey Kent
Ben E. King
Andy LaVerne & Dave Samuels
Tania Maria
Jimmy McGriff & Hank Crawford
Jackie McLean
Marian McPartland
Bucky Pizzarelli & NY Swing
Pucho & His Latin Soul Brothers
Queen Esther Marrow & The Gospel Singers
Claudio Roditti Quartet
Vanessa Rubin
Arturo Sandoval
David Sills Quartet
Carrie Smith
Dr. Lonnie Smith & Ronnie Cuber Quartet
The Three Degrees
McCoy Tyner
Warren Vache Quartet
Dave Valentin
Joel Weiskopf Trio
Nancy Wilson
Harry Allen - Scott Hamilton & The All-Star Quintet
BIG BANDS
Count Basie Orchestra
Louie Bellson Big Band Explosion
Sherrie Maricle & Diva
Lionel Hampton Orchestra
GRAMMY AWARD WINNER - McCoy Tyner Big Band