Zacc Harris - American Reverie (2017)

Guitarist and composer Zacc Harris, named City Pages 2017 Twin Cities Best Jazz Artist, is most known for his work with acclaimed group Atlantis Quartet, winners of the 2015 McKnight Fellowship for Performing Musicians, as well as the Zacc Harris Group. City Pages says, "In the 12 years since he first moved to Minnesota from southern Illinois, this remarkably fluid guitarist has positioned himself at the center of the Twin Cities jazz world." Harris has toured throughout the US and UK, and released or performed on more than two dozen records. He was awarded the 2016 Minnesota Emerging Composers Award from the American Composers Forum. As a sideman, Harris has worked with an extensive list of artists including Eric Gravatt, Babatunde Lea, Ben Wendel, Michael Janisch, Dean Granros, Cory Healey's Beautiful Sunshine Band, and Adam Meckler Quintet. With American Reverie, out May 19, 2017 on Shifting Paradigm Records, Harris sets out to explore songs that evoke the nostalgia of an America gone by, with modern jazz inflected interpretations of classic folk songs along with music by Willie Nelson, Bob Dylan, Woody Guthrie and more. Joined by bassist Matt Peterson and drummer Lars-Erik Larson, Zacc Harris' American Reverie brings the past and present together. The album features twelve tracks, starting with a subtle reharmonization of the traditional "Shenandoah", followed by a distinctly different take on Woody Guthrie's "This Land Is Your Land" in 5/4 time. This technique of changing the meter and harmony of the songs is present throughout, with Harris using the familiar melodies as a tether for the listener while painting more abstract chord changes underneath, as evident on "Long Black Veil", "Be My Baby", and "Tennessee Waltz". Harris explains, "I wanted to do a project that explored these great songs that remind me of the past in a very 'American' way, but felt like they needed to be dressed up and abstracted, not only to present something new, but as a commentary on the state of things in this country." Indeed, much of the album offers a pensive take on the music, on display with Bob Dylan's "Simple Twist of Fate", Wilco's "Jesus, Etc.", and the lone original composition on the album, "Carousel". Songs like Willie Nelson's "On the Road Again" and "Take Me Out To the Ballgame" offer lighthearted moments throughout the record. Ledbelly's "In the Pines" displays the trio's more raucous side and the album ends with a dark reharmonization of the "Star Spangled Banner" which concludes with a bombastic drum solo. In the end, American Reverie is a dynamic trip through American folk music, through the looking glass of modern jazz, and a brave stride by Harris into new musical territory.
TRACKLIST:
01. Zacc Harris - Shenandoah
02. Zacc Harris - This Land Is Your Land
03. Zacc Harris - Long Black Veil
04. Zacc Harris - On the Road Again
05. Zacc Harris - Be My Baby
06. Zacc Harris - Take Me Out To the Ball Game
07. Zacc Harris - In the Pines
08. Zacc Harris - Simple Twist of Fate
09. Zacc Harris - Carousel
10. Zacc Harris - Jesus, Etc.
11. Zacc Harris - Tennessee Waltz
12. Zacc Harris - Star Spangled Banner