Craig S. Harris

On Thursday, January 14, from 6:30-8:00 PM, MMPCIA is proud to begin our 2010 series of Mount Morris Talks! with a visit with Craig S. Harris, world-renowned jazz trombonist who for three decades has shared his distinctive talent and take on the African-American music vocabulary with a global audience.

A born collaborator, Craig Harris has created and performed with such jazz greats as Sun Ra, Sam Rivers, Lester Bowie, Abdullah Ibrahim, Makanda Ken McIntyre, Jaki Byard, Cecil Taylor and Muhal Richard Abrams.

Although his career is clearly rooted in the world of progressive jazz, he has successfully branched out into multimedia and performance art as composer, performer, conceptualist, curator and artistic director. He has blended his musical talent and innovation with that of other musicians and vocalists in and out of the jazz world as well as with the words of acclaimed poets and the works of world-class choreographers.

One of his most prolific collaborations has been with the poet Sekou Sundiata, beginning with their collaboration on the acclaimed praise poem The Circle Unbroken Is a Hard Bop, which opened at Aaron Davis Hall in 1992, then went on to win the theater world’s prestigious Bessie Award and garner honors for both Sundiata and Harris as writer and composer, respectively.

As collaborator or primary creator, his multimedia works have honored the Harlem Renaissance, explored the slave trade from the Middle Passage period to contemporary Mauritania, and spotlighted the physical movement of Muhammad Ali through the vibrant, provocative and innovative amalgamation of video, dance, theater and music.

Craig Harris has performed all over the world with his own ensembles and has recorded numerous albums for various labels.  He is the founder of Nation of Imagination, Inc., a non-profit organization devoted to developing large-scale multimedia collaborative works and artistic alliances with musicians from different cultures, as well as to educating and creating new opportunities for emerging artists.

You’re invited to enjoy the rare opportunity of sharing an evening with this uniquely creative master of his craft and artist in residence in our own Mount Morris Park community Thursday, January 14, from 6:30 to 8:00 PM at the Harlem Branch of the New York Public Library, Community Room 3rd floor, 9 West 124th Street.

Mount Morris Talks! is a series of conversations between the community and leaders, news makers, artists, authors and thinkers who live in the Harlem area. MMPCIA is proud to sponsor this series and offers it free of charge to the community.