Harvie S

A bassist of exceptional adaptability and technical command, Harvie S—previously known as Harvie Swartz—has earned particular recognition for his extended series of duo recordings and live appearances alongside vocalist Sheila Jordan. Though he began his career as a pianist, he took up the bass only in 1967 at the age of nineteen yet advanced with notable speed. Following studies at Berklee, he appeared throughout the Boston region alongside Al Cohn and Zoot Sims, Mose Allison, and Chris Connor. Relocating to New York in 1972, Swartz collaborated with Jackie & Roy, Jackie Paris, Thad Jones, Gil Evans, Lee Konitz, the Barry Miles ensemble Silverlight during 1974–1976, David Friedman, Double Image, Dave Matthews’ big band, Steve Kuhn from 1977 to 1981, Paul Motian, and numerous other leading figures.

He has directed several ensembles of his own, among them Urban Earth, which issued recordings on Gramavision, and has also helmed sessions for Bluemoon and Novus while maintaining frequent associations with Sheila Jordan. In the late 1990s, after immersing himself in Afro-Cuban traditions, he cultivated a deeper engagement with Latin jazz and incorporated those elements into his work through the Eye Contact project. Bembe Records issued the first Eye Contact album, Havana Mañana, in 1999 and followed it in 2002 with New Beginning, featuring Michael Brecker on saxophone and Ray Vega on trombone. Since 2001 he has appeared under the name Harvie S., issuing a dozen or more recordings in that guise.