Lafayette Harris with Lonnie Plaxico
Known as a “go to” pianist by many musicians, Lafayette Harris Jr. currently performs and records with legendary saxophonist Houston Person.
Lafayette has toured with some of the greatest musicians including one of the greatest music pioneers and drummers: the legendary Max Roach. That relationship resulted in almost 10 years of touring and collaborating, prompting Mr. Roach to dub Lafayette as a “phenomenal new voice on the music scene today.”
He also played with Jazz, Funk and hip hop collaboration pioneer: trumpeter Donald Byrd in “The New BlackByrds”.
Harris played on BET’s Jazz Central with Mr. Byrd and "The New BlackByrd’s" in a legendary: jazz meets hip hop set.
Lafayette has recorded and toured with multiple Grammy nominated vocal legend: Ms. Ernestine Anderson from 2003-2011 becoming her last full time pianist.
Earlier Lafayette had joined Lionel Hampton’s big band in 1989. Dizzy Gillespie was a very special guest that Lafayette got to work with during his tenure. After departing, he stayed connected by assisting Mr. Hampton on his “For The Love of Music” CD in 1995.
His newest and 9th record, You Can’t Lose With The Blues, was #1 for 2 weeks on the Jazzweek Jazz Chart starting in February 2020 and stayed in the top 10 for another 14 weeks.
Lonnie Plaxico
The middle child in a family of musicians, Chicago-born lonnie Plaxico inherited a gift for music that was discovered and nurtured early. By the age of twelve he had taught himself to play the electric bass, and he was soon venturing into Chicago's music scene, renowned for its mix of jazz, funk and blues. It was not long before the young musician made his first recording, featuring his family's band. At the age of just fourteen, having already performed alongside several prominent Chicago jazz figures, Lonnie Plaxico turned professional, playing the electric and acoustic bass with equal facility.
In 1980 Plaxico moved to New York and soon began to appear with such artists as Chet Baker, Dexter Gordon and Wynton Marsalis. His first extended tenure was with Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers: between1983 and 1986, Lonnie performed on twelve of Blakey's albums, including the Grammy Award-winning, New York Scene. In 1986 he joined Jack DeJohnette's Special Edition, continuing with that group until 1993. Presently, Plaxico is the musical director and featured bassist for Cassandra Wilson; their critically acclaimed and award-winning collaboration has now spanned fifteen years.
Plaxico's recording and performance catalog is equally impressive for its caliber, depth and diversity. He has appeared with such luminaries as Sonny Sitt, Junior Cook, David Murray, Alice Coltrane, Stanley Turrentine, Joe Sample, Abbey Lincoln, and Dizzy Gillespie. Just as noteworthy are his performances with younger artists -- among them Steve Coleman, Rachelle Farrell and Dianne Reeves. lonnie has also recorded with Bill Cosby, Lonnie Liston Smith, Ravi Coltrane and Barbara Dennerlein, as well as his Grammy-winning collaborations with Art Blakey and Cassandra Wilson. He has also recorded 13 critically acclaimed albums as leader: