Stefon Harris

Stefon Harris (born March 23, 1973) is an American jazz vibraphonist. In 1999, the Los Angeles Times called him "one of the most important young artists in jazz" who is "at the forefront of new New York music" and "much in demand as a star sideman". Harris has played with several jazz luminaries including Kenny Barron, Steve Turre, Kurt Elling, and Charlie Hunter, in addition to releasing several of his own critically well-regarded albums.

Harris is a resident of Newark, New Jersey.

Education and early career
A 1991 graduate of Albany High School, Harris earned his bachelor's (in 1995) and master's (in 1997) from Manhattan School of Music in New York City. He credited his teachers in High School, saying they recognized his "passion for music early on and offered lessons and the chance to bring home instruments to practice." He has stated that "Music education and performance in ensembles, like the Empire State Youth Orchestra, exposed me to me to other cultures and genres." He also was the captain of the high school wrestling team. Of Manhattan School of Music he has said: "The School gave me the opportunity to explore the diversity of both classical and jazz music and find the direction I wanted to go artistically."

Performances
He plays the vibraphone, has composed music, and has released six CDs.

He has performed throughout North America and Australia, from New York's Lincoln Center, to San Francisco, Chicago, East Lansing, Michigan, Troy, New York, Eilat, Israel, and Sydney, Australia. In April 2009, he will headline at the Orange County Performing Arts Center in Orange County, California.

Collaboration
Harris collaborated with saxophonist David Sánchez and trumpeter Christian Scott in 2011 on the album Ninety Miles. They recorded the album in Havana, Cuba.

As a leader

 * A Cloud of Red Dust (1998) Blue Note
 * Black Action Figure (1999) Blue Note
 * Kindred (2001) Blue Note
 * The Grand Unification Theory (2003) Blue Note
 * Evolution (2004) Blue Note
 * African Tarantella: Dances With Duke (2006) Blue Note
 * Urbanus (2009) Blue Note

As a co-leader

 * Nintey Miles (2011) Concord Picante with David Sanchez and Christian Scott

As member of The Classical Jazz Quartet

 * Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker (2001) Vertical Jazz (deleted)
 * The Classical Jazz Quartet Plays Bach (2002) Vertical Jazz
 * The Classical Jazz Quartet Play Rachmaninov (2006) Kind of Blue
 * The Classical Jazz Quartet Play Tchaikovsky (2006) Kind of Blue
 * Christmas (2006) Kind of Blue

As a sideman

 * with Terell Stafford Centripetal Force (1996) Candid
 * with Joe Henderson Porgy & Bess (1997) Verve
 * with Charlie Hunter Return of the Candyman (1998) Blue Note
 * with Jason Moran Soundtrack to Human Motion (1999) Blue Note
 * with Greg Osby The Inner Circle (2002) Blue Note
 * with Kurt Elling Man in the Air (2003) Blue Note
 * with Kenny Barron Images (2004) Sunny Side
 * with Janis Siegel Sketches of Broadway (2004) Telarc
 * with Lea DeLaria Double Standards (2005) Telarc
 * with Diana Krall Christmas Songs (2005) Verve
 * with Raul Midón ''State of Mind  (2005) Blue Note
 * with Joshua Redman Momentum (2006) Nonesuch
 * with Steve Turre Keep Searching (2006) HighNote
 * with Ry Cooder My Name Is Buddy (2007) Nonesuch
 * with Courtney Pine Transition in Tradition (2009) Destin-E
 * with Tim Warfield "Jazz Is, A Whisper in the Midnight,