Jesse Harris

Jesse Harris has built a substantial body of work as a guitarist, vocalist, and composer, shaping an intimate approach that draws on jazz, folk, country, and indie rock. National recognition arrived when he supplied guitar and the song “Don’t Know Why” to Norah Jones’ 2002 Grammy-winning album Come Away with Me. His own path, however, began earlier and already included sessions with the Ferdinandos, Lisa Loeb, and Rebecca Martin. Once his association with Jones raised his profile, Harris issued a series of distinctive solo albums: While the Music Lasts in 2004, Feel in 2007, and the Brazilian-infused Sub Rosa in 2012. In 2018 he formed a trio with guitarist Will Graefe and drummer Jeremy Gustin to record Aquarelle. Continuing his long-standing connection with Jones, he has also joined forces on diverse projects with other wide-ranging artists such as Petra Haden, Julian Lage, Bill Frisell, and, on the 2021 album Surpresa, Brazilian guitarist/singer Vinicius Cantuaria.

A lifelong New Yorker, Harris began with classical piano and guitar studies, turning first to songwriting before fully developing his instrumental skills. In his early twenties he joined Rebecca Martin in the band Once Blue, which released a self-titled album before the two songwriters parted ways. His subsequent project, the Ferdinandos, adopted a looser, more organic lineup that featured Tony Scherr on guitar, Tim Luntzel on bass, and Kenny Wollesen on drums; the group issued a series of self-produced records, among them 1999’s Jesse Harris and the Ferdinandos, and built an audience at the East Village venue the Living Room.

Performances at such clubs eventually led to his partnership with Jones, an emerging jazz singer he had encountered years earlier. Harris played a central role in shaping her debut album, Come Away with Me, whose commercial breakthrough drew attention to his songwriting. The record reached the top of the Billboard 200 and collected multiple Grammy Awards, including Album of the Year and Song of the Year for “Don’t Know Why,” a track he had first placed on Jesse Harris and the Ferdinandos.

Further collaborations with other current artists followed, along with a major-label contract for the Ferdinandos. Their major-label debut appeared in 2003 and was warmly received; Secret Sun arrived before the year ended. Harris maintained a steady pace of activity, releasing While the Music Lasts in 2004, adding guitar to the Bright Eyes album I’m Wide Awake, It’s Morning in 2005, and issuing Mineral in 2006, Feel in 2007, and Watching the Sky in 2009. In 2010 he put out two projects: Through the Night and the instrumental collection Cosmo. His eleventh solo album, Sub Rosa, recorded in 2011 and early 2012 at Monoaural Recording Studio in Rio de Janeiro and co-produced with drummer Bill Dobrow, included guest appearances by Jones, Bill Frisell, and others. For No Wrong No Right in 2015 he worked with the Brooklyn duo Star Rover. The following year he teamed with Petra Haden for Seemed Like a Good Idea, on which Haden sang Harris compositions, and he produced guitarist Julian Lage’s Arclight. In 2017 Harris returned to solo recording with Music for Chameleons, drawing on members of Star Rover plus bassist Jason Lader and Maroon 5 keyboardist/guitarist Jesse Carmichael.

The indie-pop-oriented Aquarelle emerged in 2018 after sessions in Lisbon with longtime colleagues guitarist Will Graefe and drummer Jeremy Gustin. Songs Never Sung followed in 2019 and featured guitarist Frisell, bassist Tony Scherr, and drummer Kenny Wollesen. In 2020 Harris paired again with percussionist Gustin for Everlasting Day. The 2021 collaboration Surpresa with Brazilian guitarist/vocalist Vinicius Cantuaria also incorporated contributions from Melody Gardot, Frisell, Gustin, and additional musicians.