FOR IMMEDIATE PRESS RELEASE
April 25, 2008
Contact: Acoustic Arts International PR 650 759 1750
Event: Joel Harrison/ Passing Train CD Release
May 19, 2008 9:30pm, Ticket price $15
Joe's Pub
425 Lafayette, New York City, NY 10003
A NEW TWIST IN STYLE FOR A FAVORITE CONTEMPORARY MUSICIAN
New York City, NY April 15, 2008-- Joel Harrison brings his soulful, creative songs to Joe's Pub on May 19, 2008 in celebration of his new CD release, Passing Train. This project marks Harrison's 8th release as a leader and first release devoted exclusively to his talent as a songwriter. The evening will showcase music from Passing Train, and feature
Washington D.C. native Joel Harrison resists musical categorization. For those who know his work as a jazz guitarist and composer, Harrison's songwriting talent will come as a surprise. Harrison's worn, bluesy voice is used to great effect in material that entertains even as it grapples with deep issues. Harrison's sound stems from a love of American song combined with unusual instrumentation from around the world.
Passing Train (Intuition/ Pure Land) was produced by Ben Wittman, who is well known for his work with Jonatha Brooke and Lucy Kaplansky. It continues along a path first suggested by his 2003 release, Free Country, which featured Norah Jones on vocals and was considered one of the best recordings of the year by many critics. Harrison paints a landscape in which all styles of American music commingle in haunting, poetic, thoroughly original ways. He is equally at home writing songs and complex chamber music, playing modern jazz and bar blues.
Performing with Harrison at Joe's Pub are Ben Wittman, drums; Jordan Perlson, percussion; Henry Hey, accordion, organ, piano; Stephan Crump, acoustic bass; Sam Bardfeld (violin), Greg Clark and Jen Chapin, guest vocalists. All these musicians draw from country, blues, gospel, jazz, New Orleans, and West African genres to create a unique sound. The recording will be released in June 2008 and available at his website and through Amazon.com in the United States, and through Intuition records in Europe.
"Guitarist-singer Harrison describes his music as a trip "along the seams of jazz, country, blues and spirituals, as a gateway to creative music-making." That's an ambitious task, but he brings it off in a collection filled with surprising, but utterly convincing, shifts of musical emphasis. Harrison is on to something both innovative and compelling, and he deserves a much wider hearing."
- Don Heckman, LA Times, Best of 2004
For Pre-Show Interviews/Press Pass/ Disc for review:
Contact PR at Acoustic Arts International: 650 759 1750
For more information about Joel Harrison and Passing Train, please visit: www.passingtrain.com
For more information about Joe's Pub, please visit: www.joespub.com
For more background on Joel Harrison's career, please visit: http://www.joelharrison.com
