Cass Harrison

Cass Harrison is an American jazz pianist and composer. He had two trio albums released by MGM Records in the 1950s.

Early life

Who's Who in Entertainment lists Harrison as being born in New York on April 25, 1917;[1] the liner notes from his second LP, released in 1957,[2] describe him as "thirtyish".[3] He began playing the piano at the age of four.[3]

Later life and career

Harrison's first significant exposure as a professional musician came with Teddy Powell's band.[3] Harrison played in Pennsylvania in 1944.[4] In 1948, he played intermissions at Cafe James in New York.[5] In 1954, he played with a singer at the Hotel Warwick in Philadelphia.[6] He led a big band on a tour of South America prior to recording with his trio.[3]

Harrison's first trio album, The Duke and I, consisting of versions of little-known Duke Ellington compositions, was released by MGM Records in 1956.[7] The reviewer for Billboard wrote: "Harrison is an extremely gifted pianist who ought to be better known. He is technically facile, imaginative, fresh in his harmonic conception and possessed of one of the most rock-ribbed beats imaginable."[7] The following year, this was followed by Wrappin' It Up, another trio release by MGM.[2] Critic John S. Wilson described the performances as "a lightly swinging, unencumbered workout".[8] Around 1960, Harrison led a trio performing at the Park Central Hotel in New York.[9]

Harrison later moved to Puerto Rico.[10] He was also a composer.[11]

Discography

As leader
Year recorded Title Label Personnel/Notes
1956? The Duke and I MGM Trio, with Mort Herbert (bass), Cozy Cole (drums)[12]
1957? Wrappin' It Up MGM Trio, with Milt Hinton (bass), Cozy Cole and Jo Jones (drums; separately)[3]
Sauce from the Source Cass Harrison[13]

References
  1. Who's Who in Entertainment. Marquis Who's Who. 1989. p. 271. ISBN 9780837918501.
  2. Callahan, Mike; Edwards, David; Preuss, Peter (April 23, 2003). "MGM Album Discography, Part 4: E-3401 to E-3600 (1956-1957)". bsnpubs.com. Retrieved May 17, 2019.
  3. Harrison, Cass. Wrappin' It Up (LP liner notes). E3495.
  4. "Music Grapevine". The Billboard. May 20, 1944. p. 14.
  5. Smith, Bill (February 21, 1948). "Cafe James, New York". The Billboard. p. 42.
  6. "Music As Written". The Billboard. February 6, 1954. p. 22.
  7. "Reviews and Ratings of New Jazz Albums". The Billboard. November 3, 1956. p. 28.
  8. Wilson, John S. (1958). The Collector's Jazz: Traditional and Swing. J. B. Lippincott & Co. pp. 147–148.
  9. Vaché, Warren (1997). Back Beats and Rim Shots: The Johnny Blowers Story. Scarecrow Press. pp. 127–129. ISBN 0-8108-3162-7.
  10. "About Cass". Archived from the original on February 1, 2011. Retrieved May 18, 2019.
  11. Catalog of Copyright Entries: Third Series – Music: Current and Renewal Registrations July–December 1967. The Library of Congress. 1968. pp. 1967, 2043.
  12. Harrison, Cass. The Duke and I (LP liner notes). E3388.
  13. "Cass Harrison: Discography". AllMusic. Retrieved May 17, 2019.
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