I try to see the beauty in everything.

March 19, 2016 6:09 PM

Tom Harrell is a jazz man and an inspiration to those who play with him. He once said, "The hardest part of playing the trumpet is the physical act of making the sound." He used to play with Horace Silver, and is widely regarded as one of the most accomplished trumpeters alive today. He also has a condition called schizophrenia.
posted by RedEmma (9 comments total)

Much love for Tom Harrell - an underrated genius, and a master of the trumpet.

I admit to being more immediately captivated by players like Christian Scott, Avishai Cohen and Takuya Kuroda, but I'm always blown away when I return to Harrell (who is always progressing too).
posted by AAALASTAIR at 6:47 PM on March 19, 2016

Thanks for the post! One of my favorite of his tracks: Nardis with Philip Catherine
posted by Phatty Lumpkin at 7:04 PM on March 19, 2016

I see there's a week of dates coming up at the Village Vanguard. Thanks for the timely post!
posted by cleroy at 7:18 PM on March 19, 2016

One of my fondest memories is attending a Tom Harrell's concert with my mother. Pure magic. Thanks for the post.
posted by nicolin at 3:13 AM on March 20, 2016

A very nice roundup by Jazz Profiles of interviews with the wonderfully battling (to our benefit) Mr Harrell.

Thanks for the post, RedEmma.
posted by On the Corner at 3:29 AM on March 20, 2016

Wow. That Journey to The Stars tracks was just beautiful.
posted by bigZLiLk at 6:10 AM on March 20, 2016

Yeah, bigZLiLk, that one made me cry and was actually my intro to him. A musician friend posted that vid, with the addendum that he recently saw him live, and that it was difficult and moving to watch him cope with his condition while being onstage, often retreating to the shadows and standing like that with his head down waiting.

I think it's one thing to be a fantastic musician and composer, but another thing to be willing to be a stage musician while dealing with schizophrenia. Remarkable.

Some interviews.
posted by RedEmma at 7:11 AM on March 20, 2016

> I see there's a week of dates coming up at the Village Vanguard.

Go if you can. I saw him there with my brother, and it was one of the best shows I've experienced there. He's a hell of a trumpeter; I have half a dozen of his albums (including, of course, this one, recording the Vanguard visit!).
posted by languagehat at 8:14 AM on March 20, 2016

Lovely post. The first time I saw Tom live was over 25 years ago with Joe Lovano. I always assumed he had Parkinson's. I had no idea his tremors were caused by his schizophrenia meds.
posted by ericbop at 1:14 PM on March 20, 2016