Found And Lost – Harris Simon

Harris Simon's third album as a leader, "Short Conversation" also includes a version of Bobby Porcelli's Rejuvenate, featuring tenor saxophonist Bill Evans with Michael Formanek on bass and Akira Tana on drums. Bill Evans played with Miles Davis from 1980 to 1983; a live recording of Miles from Poland in October 1983 was released on the same label, Poljazz, as "Short Conversation."

Found And Lost has a great pulse that pushes readily along and a sound that keeps a listener both relaxed and involved in the music. The melodic movements and bass lines create a familiar warmth that adds to the welcoming feeling this song brings as it rolls along comfortably. The harmonic and rhythmic structures are somewhat nuanced but not overwhelmingly complex, and they commingle in ways that make both passive and attentive listening to this song quite enjoyable.

Solo Piano Arrangement CLIP This piece is very active when played solo piano, with lots of interaction between both hands and continuous lines throughout. The syncopation between the middle voices in the right hand and the bass lines in the left correspond nicely to accentuate the harmonic content of the long notes of the melody. The rhythmic variation in the piece brings it to life and familiarizes the motifs in a sensible manner. The half-step motion in the harmony gives the arpeggios in the left hand more vigor, especially when the left hand passages move higher than the lowest voice in the right hand toward the end of the B section. It is rather challenging to play the piece entirely legato without using the pedal, but for the most part the notes run smoothly into one another without many far intervals. The counter-motion between hands to state the end of the piece is bold and caps it off nicely.

Pianist Kenny Drew Jr. recorded this arrangement in 2009, on Rudy Van Gelder's excellent Steinway D piano.

from Don Sickler: As soon as we put up Harris's solo piano arrangement, and Kenny Drew's recording of it, I sent both to Harris to check out. It's great to be able to sit back and hear someone else play your arrangement! However, Harris did realize that he had a couple of things he wanted to change in the arrangement, which we have done in the music plates, but we can't change in Kenny's recorded performance. Instead of a bass clef C under the pickup to the opening A, the left hand should be a quarter rest under the right hand pickup notes. Also, the melody is supposed to be sustained from measures 13 through the first two beats of measure 17, so Harris asked us to change it to a tremolo, which you'll see in the music. Kenny played what he saw on the page, which was three whole note chords and a half note chord.

As noted in Cary's Treat, this recording session took place after about 9 months of trio performance at a club in Williamsburg, Virginia, the Cary Street Bistro. Harris' trio performed there every "Tuesday Night," due to the generosity of owner Cary Carson and the enthusiasm of the local crowd.

Found And Lost has a great pulse that pushes readily along and a sound that keeps a listener both relaxed and involved in the music. The melodic movements and bass lines create a familiar warmth that adds to the welcoming feeling this song brings as it rolls along comfortably. The harmonic and rhythmic structures are somewhat nuanced but not overwhelmingly complex, and they commingle in ways that make both passive and attentive listening to this song quite enjoyable.

Solo Piano Arrangement CLIP This piece is very active when played solo piano, with lots of interaction between both hands and continuous lines throughout. The syncopation between the middle voices in the right hand and the bass lines in the left correspond nicely to accentuate the harmonic content of the long notes of the melody. The rhythmic variation in the piece brings it to life and familiarizes the motifs in a sensible manner. The half-step motion in the harmony gives the arpeggios in the left hand more vigor, especially when the left hand passages move higher than the lowest voice in the right hand toward the end of the B section. It is rather challenging to play the piece entirely legato without using the pedal, but for the most part the notes run smoothly into one another without many far intervals. The counter-motion between hands to state the end of the piece is bold and caps it off nicely.

Pianist Kenny Drew Jr. recorded this arrangement in 2009, on Rudy Van Gelder's excellent Steinway D piano.

from Don Sickler: As soon as we put up Harris's solo piano arrangement, and Kenny Drew's recording of it, I sent both to Harris to check out. It's great to be able to sit back and hear someone else play your arrangement! However, Harris did realize that he had a couple of things he wanted to change in the arrangement, which we have done in the music plates, but we can't change in Kenny's recorded performance. Instead of a bass clef C under the pickup to the opening A, the left hand should be a quarter rest under the right hand pickup notes. Also, the melody is supposed to be sustained from measures 13 through the first two beats of measure 17, so Harris asked us to change it to a tremolo, which you'll see in the music. Kenny played what he saw on the page, which was three whole note chords and a half note chord.