Introducing Ted Harris - Barry's Brother?

[JSngry]

A friend just hipped me to this...no idea yet if it's any good, but check out this lineup:

• Alto Saxophone, Tenor Saxophone – Charles McPherson
• Arranged By – Wilbert P. Dyer*
• Bass, Mixed By – Bill Lee (2)
• Clarinet, Alto Saxophone, Tenor Saxophone, Baritone Saxophone – Theodore E. Harris*
• Drums, Piano – Leroy Williams (8)
• Liner Notes – Sammy Lowe
• Mixed By – Mark Friedman
• Photography By – Shirley Harris
• Piano , Liner Notes – Barry Harris (2)
• Producer – Dyer*
• Producer, Photography By, Liner Notes, Design – Harris*
• Trumpet – Tommy Turrentine

 

and apparently there are two other Ted Harris records: http://www.discogs.com/artist/1774467-Ted-Harris-4?noanv=1

I'm sure somebody knows about these, but I sure as hell didn't...those who do, what's the word?

[Dan Gould]

Well color me curious.  I also wonder what Tommy Turrentine's chops were like at this point.

Edit to add:

He's not Barry's brother. I found another of his LPs and the liners state that he is one of six and none were named Barry.

 

But I'm still curious, he got some heavyweights to play with him, more than once.

 

Edited September 5, 2015 by Dan Gould

[Dan Gould]

Found a 90 second sound clip:

https://djfriendly.co.uk/mp3/225498.mp3

 

 

[david weiss]

I had this one. It was OK, nothing special. I sold it on ebay a few months ago......

Edited September 6, 2015 by david weiss

[JSngry]

Ok, if Ted Harris was not Barry's brother or other kin, as it appears he was not, then inquiring minds want to know, just who the hell WAS he, and how did he get this thing of his going?

[Al in NYC]

The years seemed a little off, but the instrumentation and the appearance of so many Detroit area players made me wonder if this may be Dr. Teddy Harris Jr., who was a longtime mainstay of the Detroit music scene and an important jazz educator and mentor (and not a relative of Barry).   But looking closely at a larger and clearer version of the cover I found through an image search, the Ted Harris pictured there really doesn't look much like him.  His was a big musical family though, so maybe a relative?

Detroit's Teddy Harris:

http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G2-3494000050.html

Edited September 9, 2015 by Al in NYC

[JSngry]

Wow, I though you had a positive ID for a second...but again it is asked - who was this guy, anyway?

[Al in NYC]

It appears that this Ted Harris was born in Detroit, but lived in Teaneck NJ for many years and ran his recording career and record label out of there.  All of his recordings seem to be self-produced on his own label, H&D Records, with some pretty top-shelf sidemen.  He and the label were active up to 2001, when he put out what seems to be his last recording, Ted Harris With Strings.

https://archive.org/details/iuma-harris_ted

Bio:

http://prabook.org/web/person-view.html?profileId=384195

 

Harris seems to have been heavily associated with the shadowy jazz figure of Wilbert 'Bugs' Dyer (the "D" of H&D), who wrote the arrangements for Introducing Ted Harris, and died back in 1977.  Dyer was an apparently excellent alto player who came out of Hartford with Horace Silver in Stan Getz's band, and played/recorded with Howard McGhee, Illinois Jacquet, Harold Mabern, George Coleman, Grady Tate, and Phil Kelly (!).  He also suffered from "personal problems" that kept him playing in the (in)famous Lexington band for some time.

A background post on Bugs Dyer:

http://forum.saxontheweb.net/showthread.php?195775-Bugs-Dyer

Phil's story:

http://forums.allaboutjazz.com/showthread.php?31020-Drummers-How-is-your-technique/page2&p=382307#post382307

Edited September 9, 2015 by Al in NYC

[Peter Friedman]

I grew up in Detroit and was reasonably familiar with the local jazz scene there until I moved away in 1967.

Ted Harris was very much a part of the Detroit jazz scene though certainly a notch or 2 below the major Detroit piano players such as Barry Harris, Tommy Flanagan, Roland Hanna, Hugh Lawson, Kirk Lightsey, and the earlier Hank Jones from Pontiac.

A couple of other Detroit jazz piano players were Harold McKinney and Will Davis.

I recall seeing Ted Harris play a time or two those many years ago. He was quite young at that time. 

[JSngry]

Thanks for that background, Peter. I figured he had to have come from somewhere!

[Dan Gould]

But Ted didn't play piano, at least on this record.

I've listened a couple of times, I like it but I can see how it's not especially consequential.  Might find the other records, might not bother.

[JSngry]

Yeah, it's one of those "now that you know about it, that's enough" type things.

[fasstrack]

Barry did have a Ted Harris record in the display case at the Jazz Cultural Theater. I believe there was another (Ted) Harris LP featuring C. Sharpe.

[Al in NYC]

But Ted didn't play piano, at least on this record.

I've listened a couple of times, I like it but I can see how it's not especially consequential.  Might find the other records, might not bother.

There are 2 different Ted Harrises.  Both born in Detroit in 1934, and apparently both friends of Barry Harris, but not related to him (or to each other). 

The Ted Harris who is the subject of this thread is Theodore E. "Ted" Harris, who was (is?) a multi-reedman who seems to have spent most of his active career in Teaneck, NJ.  He recorded a number of albums, with pretty impressive personnel, on his own H & D label between 1978 and 2001. His fate is apparently unknown. 

The other one is Dr. Theodore "Teddy" Harris Jr., who I refer to in a post above, and who I believe Peter Friedman is referring to.  A pianist and reeds player (primarily soprano), as well as a writer and arranger, Dr. Teddy was a mainstay on the Detroit jazz scene for many years as a performer, teacher, mentor, etc. He was also involved with Motown, going on the road for several years as The Supremes' musical director, and spent some time in Paul Butterfield's blues band.  In his later years he recorded sporadically for a small local label.  He died in 2005.

Ted Harris:

Dr. Teddy Harris: