Allan Harris, Sings A Nat King Cole Christmas

Ever since he burst on the jazz scene in the latter part of the twentieth century, The Brooklyn-born, Harlem-based vocalist/guitarist/bandleader/composer Allan Harris has reigned supreme as the most accomplished and exceptional singer of his generation. Aptly described by the Miami Herald as an artist blessed with, “the warmth of Tony Bennett, the bite and rhythmic sense of Sinatra, and the sly elegance of Nat ‘King' Cole,” the ample and aural evidence of Harris’ moving and magisterial artistry can be heard on his ten recordings as a leader; his far-flung and critically-acclaimed concerts around the world, from Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York, and Washington DC’s Kennedy Center, to the 2012 London Olympics, and a number of prestigious bookings in Europe, The Middle East and Asia, and his numerous awards, which include the New York Nightlife Award for “Outstanding Jazz Vocalist” – which he won three times – the Backstage Bistro Award for “Ongoing Achievement in Jazz,” and the Harlem Speaks “Jazz Museum of Harlem Award.”

Allan Harris brings some delightful yuletide cheer to New York when he brings “Allan Harris Sings a Nat King Cole Christmas” to SubCulture on December 5, 2014. Harris, whom Variety calls “a velvet-voiced singer with a savvy manner and music in his veins,” has often paid tribute to Cole, notably at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. in 2007, where he recorded the CD, “Love Live the King.” Recently this bari-tenor was dubbed “the heir apparent to Nat King Cole” by Michael Feinstein and the New York Times. Harris has built a stage show around Cole’s legendary Christmas recordings. The result was the 2009 CD “Dedicated to You: Allan Harris sings a Nat King Cole Christmas,” which Allan has been touring to great reviews. The CD and the show include such carols as “O Holy Night” and “Silent Night” as well as jazzier holiday tunes like “Baby, It’s Cold Outside” and “Winter Wonderland.” Of course Cole’s biggest holiday hit, “Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire” (also known as “The Christmas Song”) will be included in the show.

Harris, whom no less than Tony Bennett calls “my favorite singer,” was surrounded by music in his birthplace and childhood home of Brooklyn. His mother was a classical pianist and his aunt was an opera singer who later turned to the blues. Because Aunt Theodosia attracted the attention of famed producer Clarence Williams, he became a regular dinner guest and often brought along other performers such as Louis Armstrong. Once Armstrong even baby sat and terrified young Allan with his “froglike voice.”

Tickets are now available for “Allan Harris Sings a Nat King Cole Christmas.”