Stefon Harris On 'Piano Jazz: Rising Stars'

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"You have to love this art form," Stefon Harris says. "It's one of the only opportunities in the world where we really can be purely honest and in the moment, and let the music unfold and reveal itself." Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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Courtesy of the artist

"You have to love this art form," Stefon Harris says. "It's one of the only opportunities in the world where we really can be purely honest and in the moment, and let the music unfold and reveal itself."

Courtesy of the artist

Vibraphonist and bandleader Stefon Harris is one of the busiest musicians in jazz: He tours with his band Blackout and the SF Jazz Collective, teaches at NYU and is an artist-in-residence at institutions across the U.S. Born with asthma, Harris took to piano and percussion at an early age, but that never stopped him from admiring a trumpeter like Miles Davis.

"The thing I admire most about Miles is his ability as a leader," Harris says. "He is my hero and someone who I model myself after as a leader. He was able to bring incredibly gifted people together and allow them to be fully creative in that space."

Harris is also a three-time Grammy nominee and has been named Best Mallet Player by the Jazz Journalists Association six times. Here, Harris showcases his fiery work on the vibes through a polished set of standards and originals with host Jon Weber.