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Tenor titan By Russ Tarby
No wonder he’s New York City’s Number One tenor saxophonists. Even before he attended kindergarten, Harry Allen was absorbing the sweet sounds of American jazz because his father, Maurice, constantly played records for his young son including performances by tenor saxophonist Paul Gonsalves, a vital member of the Duke Ellington Orchestra. As a 7-year-old, Allen took accordion lessons, started playing clarinet at 11 and switched to saxophone at 12. Now 50 years old, Allen has emerged as the world’s top tenor man specializing on swing and standards. His interpretive approach has its roots in the work of classic saxophonists such as Coleman Hawkins, Ben Webster, Stan Getz, Illinois Jacquet and Lester Young. “When I went to college [at Rutgers University], I was the only one who was trying to get a mellow sound on the saxophone,” Allen recalls. His thorough embrace of the Great American Songbook has paid dividends as Allen has recorded more than three dozen CDs and toured the world several times over. Last year Allen released two discs,
“The Candy Men” by Harry Allen’s NY Saxophone Band and “London Date” by the Harry Allen Quartet. The former features familiar tunes such as “After You’ve Gone” and “How Are Things in Glocca Morra?” And the latter’s tracks include two joyous jams on “Indiana” and ““Our Love Is Here to Stay” recorded live at the Watermill Jazz Club. Harry Allen will headline the annual January Jazzfest, at 4:30 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 29, at Mohegan Manor, 58 Oswego St., in Baldwinsville. Tickets cost $25 in advance, or $30 at the door; 479-JAZZ; cnyjazz.org. Allen will be accompanied here by pianist Dino Losito, drummer Jimmy Johns and bassist Danny Ziemann. Vocalist Nancy Kelly will also step up to the microphone during Allen’s set. The January Jazzfest kicks off with a jazz brunch at 11 a.m. with music by Bob Piorun and Bob Vanderrhoof. Promising four floors of fun at the multi-level Mohegan Manor, CNY Jazz Central executive director Larry Luttinger has booked plenty of top-flight musicians and singers to perform throughout the day. The R&B band Brownskin plays the second level Green Room from 2:15 to
Swingin’ saxophonist Harry Allen headlines January Jazzfest Sunday at Mohegan Manor
4 p.m., followed by a CNY Jazz Alumni Band. Baldwinsville’s own Julia Goodwin -- America’s Got Talent finalist and winner of Michael Feinstein’s Great American Songbook competition – will sit in with Grupo Pagan Lite at the firstlevel barroom from 2:15 to 4 p.m. The lower-level Basta Cabaret Lounge will hear from singers Julie Howard at 1 p.m., Cookie Coogan at 2:15 p.m., The Swing Cats at 3:30 p.m. Jeff Stockham’s Jazz Police will close out the festival in the lounge with a celebrity jam from 6:30 to 9 p.m. Cash bar and food stations will be available all day. Headliner Harry Allen performed at the 2015 Northeast Jazz & Wine Festival in downtown Syracuse, also staged by CNY Jazz. One of the strengths of his music is that it appeals to almost everyone. “I think it’s a style that your average person, not a musician, finds listenable and likes,” he said. Syracuse jazz collector John Herr agrees. “Harry’s one of the most lyrical stylists of his generation,” Herr said. “Music teachers who want their students to get a grounding in standards and jazz classics should spread the word about this concert.”
Harryallenjazz.com
Manhattan-based saxophonist Harry Allen headlines the January Jazzfest at Mohegan Manor on Sunday, Jan. 29.
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JANUARY 25, 2017