Tom Harrell Live in KC

[Eric]

Last night I attended a show in KC by the Charles McPherson/Tom Harrell quintet. It was part of a Charlie Parker celebration here in KC. Stanley Crouch started things off with a 15-20 minute lecture on Bird that was at times rambling, but mostly insightful and humerous. But, I digress ...

This is the third time I have seen Tom Harrell, with the first being 21 years ago with Phil Woods. For those of you that have seen him play live, you are of course first struck by the physical mannerisms brought about by the medication he takes. It is quite moving and I think heroic describes it quite well.

But pretty soon you forget about all that and just get swept away by his playing. This is one of those instances where I fear words will fail me, but I take away an amazing sense of beauty from listening to him. It is not fragile, on the contrary it is a masculine sort of beauty.

The show was all Parker tunes and so we were treated to some good ole' wicked bebop (along with some ballads). Some of the tempos flat out flew and even on the faster tunes, the beauty is still there. Amazing. Regardless of your experience with him on record, see this man play. You will be moved and have a ball!

Eric

[robviti]

For those of you that have seen him play live, you are of course first struck by the physical mannerisms brought about by the medication he takes.

Harrell suffers from schizophrenia. Traditional antipsychotic medications can have serious side effects, including dry mouth, constipation, blurred vision, drowsiness, restlessness, stiffness, tremors, and muscle spasms. There are some medications that can help reduce some of these symptoms. More promising are the newer antipsychotics which cause substantially fewer side effects. Regardless of the specific meds he's taking, it's certain that he could not perform without them.

I've seen Harrell several times and have gradually observed what I consider his deteriorating condition. The most recent show was at the Vanguard last fall. He was visibly shaking while playing and seemed to have trouble concentrating. Most disturbing was his neglect of his horn's spit valve, causing it to leak all over the front of his leather jacket throughout the set.

Many people call Harrell "heroic," and I suppose I would agree. However, I wish I could consult with his psychiatrist to make sure he's getting the maximum benefit from the most modern and effective medications available. Harrell's a great talent who deserves to maintain his dignity.

Edited March 28, 2004 by jazzshrink

[sal]

jazzshrink, I think you might have caught him on a night where he was in really bad shape. The two times I've seen him, he seemed completely calm and in control. And the music was beautiful. I don't doubt, however, that he has his nights where things get bad. A well-known jazz trumpeter told me about some instances where Tom has left the stage once he's finished his solo and gone into a bathroom stall and not come out.

[sheldonm]

I just saw Tom a few weeks ago in Chicago and I thought he looked and acted pretty good (considering his condition). I took a chance on a conversation in the little dressing room after the show and while it's not real easy to chitchat with Tom, he did carry on a decent conversation with me. I told him I had driven from Indianapolis to hear him play and he said he had just recently played in Lafayette Indiana (Purdue University). I gave him a photograph that I had made of him a year or so ago and although I don't think we ever made eye contact during our talk, he did look at the photograph for a minute and said it was "beautiful" and thanked me for it. I also met his wife who looks to be about 12 years old (I'm sure she's not). When I asked her if I could meet Tom, she said "sure, go on up stairs and knock on the door". One thing is for sure, if you've not seem him play live, he is a sight to behold, but his playing is magical!

Mark