January 12, 2012 - Blues411.com Interview with Anne Harris
"On the October 2011
Legendary Rhythm & Blues Cruise
I was honored to witness the
Otis Taylor Band. Within minutes
the audience and myself was
captivated by the fiddle playing
Anne Harris. A cross between
Jimi Hendrix gyrations and
Gypsy-like trills soon had the
boat buzzing with her name and
talent. I was besides myself
when she accepted my proposition
to be interviewed for
Blues411..."
Read the interview by Chefjimi
Patricola here.
November 18, 2011 - Blues Revue Interview with Anne Harris
"Once you have witnessed
Anne Harris
play the violin, you aren’t
likely to forget the experience
any time soon. It’s not just the
wondrous music she makes drawing
her bow across the strings, it’s
also the way the spirit of the
music emanates from her
physically. She inhabits the
music, or maybe the music
inhabits her, but it is
impossible not to be drawn under
her spell. BluesWax
wanted to find out what inspires
this energetic and mesmerizing
performer, who joined
Otis Taylor for his
performances aboard the
Legendary Rhythm & Blues Cruise
in October, 2011, so we sat down
for a chat on the ship."
Read the full interview by Stacy
Jeffress here.
November 15, 2011 - Blues411.com Raves for Otis Taylor Band
November 12, 2011 - Otis Taylor performs Absinthe on Blues
Cruise
Here's a video that captures the vibe and intimacy of the
Legendary Rhythm and Blues Cruise. Otis Taylor performs Absinthe in
the Ocean Bar. Note: camera view improves greatly after 1:00.
October 31, 2011 - Anne Harris joined Otis Taylor for Blues
Cruise
Anne set sail Oct. 23 with Otis Taylor Band and a boatload of other
musicians and music fans on the Legendary
Rhythm & Blues Cruise. They say what happens on the boat
stays on the boat, but those willing to speak report that everyone
had a tremendous time with round-the-clock music and merriment.
Among the highlights of every Blues Cruise are all the impromptu
collaborations between the various artists. Below is a video of
Cedric Burnside playing his song, The World Don't Owe You Nothing,
with Anne Harris sitting in on fiddle.
Watch full size on YouTube.
There are also lots of photos linked on
Anne's Facebook page.
October 19, 2011 - Anne Harris supports Carolina Chocolate Drops
Anne gave an acoustic performance in support of
Carolina Chocolate
Drops at the Acorn Theater on October 19, 2011. CCD's performance
was taped by WNIT for the public television music series mentioned
below.
October 3, 2011 - Anne Harris Honored for Distinction in
Children's Television
Anne was fairly amused to learn that she was named "The Hottest
Woman in Children's Television" by a
Houston Press Blog.
September 7, 2011 - WNIT (PBS) Films Anne Harris Concert at
the Acorn Theater for Music Series Pilot
Anne Harris' performance at the
Acorn Theater on
Wednesday, September 7th was recorded and filmed by a camera crew from PBS
affiliate WNIT Public Television
of South Bend, Indiana. The concert taping will serve as a test
episode for a proposed music performance series to be produced by WNIT in
cooperation with the Acorn Theater in Three Oaks, Michigan. Update: Anne performed to a packed house for the taping.
Editing is underway and
everyone is very pleased with the results so far. The
series will be offered to PBS affiliate stations nationwide.
July 9, 2011 - Otis Taylor at North Sea Jazz Festival
Anne Harris performed with Otis Taylor Band at the prestigious North
Sea Jazz festival. The week long festival, held annually in
Rotterdam, Netherlands, featured a stellar lineup of world-class
artists such as Paul Simon, Prince, BB King, Tedeschi Trucks Band, Herbie Hancock, and many others. Below is a 45-minute
video of part of Otis Taylor's performance. Or you can watch it
slightly larger
here.
Anne shares her picks for the best of Chicago's music and festival
scene this Summer.
April 2011- Video: NPR Music Tiny Desk Concert: Otis Taylor
Otis Taylor performs 4 songs for
NPR Music's Tiny Desk Concert series. Recorded live in February
2011at the National Public Radio studio in Washington, DC, Otis and
the band play Ten Millions Slaves, Ran So Hard, Talking About It
Blues, and Think I Won't.
Audio and video available for download. Otis Taylor, banjo; Anne
Harris, fiddle; JP Johnson, guitar; Todd Edmunds, bass, Larry
Thompson, snare drum. Update: The Tiny Desk Concert performance is now available on
YouTube:
http://youtu.be/am4GcbBrdMA
July 2010 - Otis Taylor Band Wraps Italian Festival Tour
Otis Taylor Band wrapped a successful tour of six music festivals
in Italy, including Liri Blues Festival, Gompm Alm, Trasimeno Blues
and Rocce Rosse in Sardinia. Thanks to all the music lovers and new
friends who packed every festival.
Here's a video from the Liri Blues Festival in Isola del Liri,
Italy. Anne Harris plays her song "Room 604" as an intro to "Rain So
Hard," from Clovis People Vol 3.
Rave Reviews for Otis Taylor Band at 2010 Chicago Blues Festival
Otis Taylor received critical praise for his performance at the
2010 Chicago Blues Festival. Although it came amidst a stretch
of five Chicago shows over four days (including Legends, Pritzker
Pavilion, SPACE in Evanston, and a live radio broadcast), the energy
was high for Taylor’s Festival performance on June 11th in Grant
Park's Petrillo Music Shell.
Chicago Sun-Times: “Otis Taylor stated his case once more
for being the bright shining light of the postmodern blues. …Taylor
was not only a spellbinding presence onstage, but also fronted
perhaps the most compelling group musically since early '90s Los
Lobos.”
Chicago Tribune: “Instead of standard blues chord
progressions, Otis Taylor alternated between banjo and electric
guitar to create hypnotic grooves — helped by a band that included a
steel guitarist and Chicagoan Anne Harris on violin — and his
singing reached back to the blues' origins in field hollers and work
songs. …Taylor provided another example of how the blues can move
forward even as it draws upon its past.”
ChicagoConcertgoers.com: “Otis Taylor showed why he’s
regarded as one of the most relevant contemporary blues artists. Not
only is he a terrific songwriter, but he presents his material in a
series of surprises. ... Anne Harris was a striking presence dressed
in white as she added her mojo and fiddle, while pedal-steel
guitarist Chuck Campbell aided the band’s trance blues sound.”
WXRT's Tom Marker: “The Otis Taylor band was also amazing.
It might have been the first time there was a band on the Petrillo
stage at Blues Fest with a banjo and a violin. Chicago’s Anne Harris
nearly steals the show every time she fiddles with Otis. He also
sounded great at the broadcast we did from Legends on Thursday.”
BluesWax: “Taylor is becoming the John Mayall of the 21st
century, constantly introducing to his fans to new sidemen and women
who re-enforce his self-proclaimed 'trance blues' mantra. The latest
jaw dropping performers include: [steel guitarist] Chuck Campbell
from the sacred steel band the Campbell Brothers; foxy Anne Harris
on hot pants and violin (not necessarily in that order); and
guitarist Jon Paul Johnson...
“The most creatively valid, innovative Blues artist of the
last ten years, [Taylor] put on a simply stunning set of all
originals including material from his new Clovis People Vol. 3.”
May 12, 2010 - Anne Harris Appears on New Release by
Otis Taylor
Clovis People, Vol. 3 (Telarc)
is another album that could only have come from Otis Taylor," writes
Gary Schwind of
Examiner.com. "These are songs that feature non-traditional
blues instruments like banjo and cello." Add to that Anne Harris'
fiddle. Harris, who has been touring with Taylor since the 2008
Chicago Blues Festival, appears on 4 tracks, including the somber
Lee and Arnez, which made
USA TODAY music critic Jerry Shriver's Playlist for the week.
Despite
some unusual instrumentation, David Bowling of
Blogcritics Music Reviews says Taylor's latest release "is a
very back to basics and stripped down album. He has created a sparse
sound with a hypnotic style."
Chicago Tribune music critic, Greg Kot, elaborates: "Snaking
guitars ride a chord, maybe two, over grooves as steady as a river,
while banjo, theremin, violin and pedal steel add spooky atmosphere,
and a cornet darts in and out. Once in a while, a guitar solo
erupts. It's a hypnotic sound that shares similarities with
acid-rock, Afro-beat, and the Mississippi hill-country blues of R.L.
Burnside."
"Every Otis Taylor record is a cause for celebration, and
Clovis People, Vol. 3 is no exception," raves Frank Alkyer in
Downbeat magazine's Editors' Picks for May 2010. "His blues are
packed not only with primal urges, but also with equal doses of
thought and intellect...For newcomers to Taylor, enjoy the
originality and surprise of one of our greatest living blues
artists." Adds Schwind, "If you love blues and you want something a
little different, get a hold of Clovis People, Vol. 3,
available in stores [May 12, 2010.] Chances are, you don't have
anything like it in your collection."
Order it here.
May 8, 2010 - Praise for Anne Harris / Jann Klose co-bill at the
Skokie Theatre
Anne Harris performed in a dual concert event with renown singer
songwriter Jann Klose at the
Skokie Theatre
on Friday, April 30th, 2010. In his
review of the concerts, Buzz Magazine's Kendall Guimond says,
"Anne Harris...brings an enchanting and sweet
demeanor to her folk-pop music" and "captivates the audience with
her charming, and often very funny, disposition. ... Like Klose,
Harris has a worldly air to her songwriting, poetically telling
stories of love, loss, and life."
March 25, 2010 - Anne Harris Live In-Studio with Steve and
Johnnie
Anne Harris and Ernie Hendrickson visited with
Steve
and Johnnie in the WGN Radio 720 studio to promo Anne's upcoming
show at the Skokie Theater in Skokie, IL. Steve and Johnnie posted
a
couple videos of Anne and Ernie performing live in-studio.
February 16, 2010 - Multimedia photo-documentary by Anne Holmes,
Crisis on the Border, features original music by Anne Harris
and Alison Chesley
Crisis on the Border, a multimedia documentary by
photo-journalist Anne Holmes, provides a much needed window onto the
ongoing crisis in Chad and Sudan. Says Holmes, "I spent a month
wandering around the desert of Eastern Chad in 2008, where a quarter
million Darfur refugees are sustained by international aid agencies.
European troops had just arrived under UN mandate to mount a
peace-keeping mission to protect aid workers, locals and refugees
from bandits and violence spilling over the border with Sudan.
Darfuris fled a conflict over basic resources in Sudan 6 years ago,
to a country already struggling with its own limitations, ushering
Eastern Chad into a conflict of its own. The situation remains
critical."
When Holmes contacted Anne Harris about music for the project,
Harris was excited to collaborate and passed along several
instrumental songs which she and cellist, Alison Chesley (Helen
Money), had recently composed. Holmes found them to be a perfect
complement to her halting photography and audio recordings.
Watch Crisis on the Border.
February 15, 2010 - Anne Harris appears in new Hello Dave video
on CMT.com
Anne appears playing fiddle in the new video by old friends and
long-time country rockers, Hello Dave.
The video, featuring their hit single, Golden, was shot
in Chicago in December and is now showing on
CMT.com.
October 3, 2009 - Anne Harris debuts 4 new songs at SMSO event
Anne premiered four new songs and showcased a different
instrumental lineup at a concert in the Benton Harbor arts district
on October 3rd, 2009. The event, produced by the Southwest Michigan
Symphony Orchestra and hosted by the Richard Hunt Studio Center,
capped off a day of public art exhibitions. Joining Anne for the
sold out event were cellist Alison Chesley, Greg Nergaard on upright
bass, Bob Garrett on percussion & guitar, and Aaron Krossovitch with
projected visual art.
Anne Harris at Richard Hunt Studio Center
September 18, 2009 - Otis Taylor thrills Telluride Blues Fest
crowd
Otis Taylor and his
African Orchestra played to an enthusiastic crowd at the Telluride
Blues and Brews Festival. Check out this video of Otis with his big
band, including Anne Harris on fiddle, guest
Jason Ricci on harp, and
West African percussion master Fara Tolno on djembe.
September 3, 2009 - Otis Taylor BluesWax interview
Anne's work with Otis Taylor
was mentioned in his interview with BluesWax, published in their
September 3rd edition of their weekly Ezine.
Read it here.
August 2009 - Her Nashville article promoting CSA
features Anne's Food Is Terrorism lyrics
The lyrics to Food Is Terrorism are featured in an
eco-awareness article in the August 2009 issue of Her Nashville.
Author, Terra Bella, warns of the present danger of allowing the
global food supply to be controlled by a few enormous agri-business
corporations like Monsanto, Cargill and ADM. She suggests combating
the threat at the local level with Community Supported Agriculture
projects. Read
the full article here.
May 2009 - Anne Harris performs at Blues Music Awards
On May 11, 2009, Anne performed at the 30th Annual
Blues Music Awards (formerly WC Handy Awards) in Memphis, playing
fiddle with the Otis Taylor Band
and sharing the stage with BB King, Koko Taylor, Taj Mahal and many
other blues legends. Otis Taylor was nominated for two awards and
took home “Instrumentalist of the Year" for his work on
Recapturing the Banjo.
Otis Taylor Band at the Blues Music Awards
photo Bob Seckinger
April 2009 - New Anne Harris Single Wall in Washington released on benefit album
Anne's version of Iris DeMent's Wall in Washington is part
of the compilation album, Have You Seen My
Hero. The album is now available for download on a
pay-what-you-want basis and all proceeds benefit the Intrepid Fallen
Heroes Fund. Find
out more and download here.
January 22, 2009
Live In-Studio with Otis Taylor
Otis Taylor was the guest
on WUNC's The State of Things, discussing the African roots
of the banjo and its cross-cultural journey in America, prior to his
performance at Duke University. Anne Harris (fiddle) and Don Vappie
(banjo) joined Otis and his banjo in the studio for a live
performance of Ran so Hard the Sun Went Down.
Here is a link to download an mp3 of the live song.
Or click
here for a stream or podcast of the entire interview.
January 17, 2009
Otis Taylor tour news
Otis Taylor brought down
the house at a packed Saturday night
NAMM showcase at the
Anaheim Marriott. Next up for Otis and the band is January 22 at
Duke University where Anne will be honored to share the stage with
Alvin Youngblood
Hart, Don Vappie and
Corey Harris
as they join Otis' band for a special concert. The three legendary
artists, performed on Otis' 2008 record, Recapturing the Banjo.
January 5, 2009
Anne makes Best of '08 in Illinois Entertainer magazine
Illinois Entertainer - Best of Around Hear '08 Between dates with blues legend Otis Taylor and hippie heroes
Jefferson Starship, not to mention the release of Gravity
And Faith, it has been a banner year for Anne
Harris. The singer-songwriter/fast-action fiddler continues
to raise the bar on a soulful blend of folk, pop, and roots rock on
record, while her deft instrumental abilities continue to resonate
in concert. Outside sheer entertainment, the troubadour is always
brimming with socially conscious, and at times, intensely personal
lyrics as memorable as thought-provoking.
Anne Harris was noted for her contribution to the trance blues of
the Otis Taylor band in an article showcasing bassist Cassie Taylor.
October 17, 2008
Anne Harris releases Live at the Acorn Theater CD
Anne and her band celebrated the release of her new CD,
Live at the Acorn Theater, with a special concert event at the
Acorn Theater, where the
record was recorded back in June 2007. The 13-track disc contains
live performance of songs from all four of her studios records.
Accolades for Gravity and Faith
Concertlivewire.com says Gravity and Faith
"boasts a carefully crafted blend of violin-infused pop/rock
arrangements, the occasional folk flavoring and introspective
lyricism that find the ambitious troubadour digging down deep into
the most transparent portions of her provocative soul." - Andy
Argyrakis
Lake Magazine says Gravity and Faith is "a thoughtful
voyage" by "an electric performer who touches your spiritual side"
with lyrics "more aptly called poetry." - Gail Isaacson
Anne and her band celebrated the release of
Gravity and Faith
Sept. 12, 2008 at Martyrs'
in Chicago.
Thanks to everyone who came out and filled the room with good
vibes.
Gravity and Faith Live Video
Here's a new video of Anne and her band performing Gravity and
Faith:
The legendary Jefferson Starship is at it again. Moving forward
by reaching back, and in doing so, daringly casting a light for a
new generation of change-makers riveted by the group’s first new
studio album in a decade, Jeffersons’ Tree Of Liberty, and
introducing a soaring new female voice on many of the
songs...Chicago favorite Cathy
Richardson.
Now touring in support of the new record, Jefferson Starship
welcomed Anne Harris and her fiddle to the band for the Midwest leg
of their tour.
Anne Harris is adding her fiddle to the trance-blues of
Otis Taylor's band for
selected dates on his international tour. She first performed
alongside the legendary innovator at the 25th Annual Chicago Blues
Festival in June 2008.
According to Billboard Magazine, "Otis Taylor is one of the most
innovative, thought-provoking blues artists to emerge in the last 20
years." He is currently touring internationally in support of his
new record, Recapturing the Banjo, which features "an
all-star cast of fellow blues revivalists and banjoists (Keb Mo,
Corey Harris, Alvin Youngblood Hart, Guy Davis, Don Vappie) to pay
brilliant tribute to the instrument rooted in the legacy of
African-American music. Spurning banjo stereotypes and keying in on
the instrument's rhythmic versatility, Taylor covers a broad swath
of stylistic ground, including rocking blues, funky swagger,
jazz-inflected melody, Creole dance, old-timey jug band and country
blues." - USA Today
Blues Festival kickoff party June 4, 2008
Anne Harris and her band performed a few songs from her forthcoming
CD, Gravity and Faith, at Buddy
Guy's Legends as part of
NARAS Chicago Chapter's annual event kicking off the Chicago Blues
Festival. All proceeds from the event support NARAS' education and
advocacy programs.
Anne's Note for the New Year 2008
It's an annual tradition for Anne to share a few thoughts as we
transition into a brand new year.
Read it here.
6/16/07 Acorn Theater performances recorded for live CD
Anne Harris' June 16th performances at the
Acorn Theater
in Three Oaks, Michigan, were recorded for a future live CD. Anne and
her band were accompanied for the performances by a string quartet.
The program featured songs from all three of Anne's CDs, as well as
new songs from her forthcoming record, Gravity and Faith. Brando
Triantafillou of
soundcake
engineered the live multi-track recording.
4/20/07 Anne Harris featured in Chicago Tribune
"Anne Harris' songs frequently sound born of a spiritual
awakening." So began the Chicago Tribune's feature about Anne and
her music in the Friday 'On the Town' section, in advance of her
performance at Fitzgerald's in Berwyn, IL. You can read the full
text of the article here.
4/18/07 Anne Harris performs live on WTTW11 "Chicago Tonight"
"I spent a good part of the afternoon listening to [Wine and
Poetry]," said 'Chicago Tonight' host Phil Ponce during a live
interview with Anne, "and one of the things that struck me is that
the music and the lyrics are just very 'up.' It's positive, it's
hopeful." Anne was the featured musical guest on WTTW's nightly
public-affairs series. Following the interview, Anne performed
acoustic versions of 'Wine and Poetry' and 'Letting Go,' accompanied
by guitarist, Chris Siebold and bassist, Greg Nergaard.
Anne Harris concert benefits Hope Jr.
On March 11, 2007 Anne and her band gave a concert benefiting
Marillac House's Hope Jr. program for girls. Marillac House is an
organization doing vital work on Chicago's west side, providing
social services to people of all ages, helping families to break the
cycle of poverty. The "Hope Jr." program offers girls age 7 to 17 a
range of after-school and out-of-school programs, including cultural
field trips, community service activities, art, theater projects,
music and choir, as well as tutoring and mentoring. The goal of Hope
Jr. is provide the girls with positive experiences and guidance that
will translate into positive choices in the future.
Anne Harris returns in new episodes of Jack's Big Music Show
Anne returns as Prudence in two new episodes of
Jack's
Big Music Show, the smash hit children's TV show on Noggin. The
episodes, Snow Day and Jack Bunny, premiered in
January 2007 and continue to run.
Anne Harris featured on Chicago Public Radio
As a part of their ongoing series exploring Chicago's music scene,
Chicago Public Radio's Tony Sarabia profiled Anne Harris. The piece
aired on June 20, 2006, during Eight Forty-Eight and NPRs All Things
Considered, but if you missed it you can
stream or download it at ChicagoPublicRadio.org.
Anne Harris featured in Fusion Studio D promotion
Anne was among ten female artists featured in Fusion Studio D, a
women's lifestyle event visiting cities nationwide in 2006.
Sponsored by Ford and Elle, the free promotion focused on the
latest in beauty, fitness and music, while raising money and
awareness for the
Susan G. Komen Breast
Cancer Foundation and Race for the Cure. On June 6th, 2006 Anne
Harris and
Kat Parsons,
another featured artist, performed at a Studio D event presented at
Ford's marketing headquarters in Dearborn, Michigan. Anne was the
Artist of the Month for December.
Anne Harris to perform at 25th Annual American Music Festival
Anne is excited to join a fantastic lineup of diverse American
music for this annual 4-day, multi-stage event hosted by
FitzGerald's in Berwyn, IL.
Wine and Poetry wins "Album Artwork of the Year"
at 2006 DIY Convention
Anne Harris was awarded "DIY Album Artwork of the Year" honors for
her Wine and Poetry CD at the Sixth Annual DIY Music Festival and
Convention in LA. The concept packaging features photography and
graphic design by Flynn. You can check out some of the Wine and
Poetry images and other amazing work at
flynnworks.com. The DIY
Convention: Do It Yourself In Film, Music and Books focuses on
support and promotion of independent film, music and books.
2/9/06 CoffeehouseTour.com review
Here's what CoffeehouseTour.com had to say about Wine and Poetry in
their February 2006 CD reviews:
Anne Harris is the connoisseur of combining “Wine
and Poetry” with exquisite lyrical songs that showcase her talent
for beautiful vocal melodies laced with breathtaking lyrics. After a
suspenseful, instrumental beginning in the first song “Connected”,
Anne’s voice soothes powerfully across the tracks giving the
listener a sneak preview of the vineyard of songs forthcoming on the
menu of “Wine and Poetry”. There is not one throwaway track on this
release. Each song is memorably attractive and dazzling, I
absolutely love this album. The diversity that flows from it makes
it nearly impossible to tag it with just one genre category. Think
Americana, soul, folk, Celtic, gospel and pop all on a glorious
joyride…it’s that damn good! Experience the aroma of “Wine and
Poetry” for yourself. You’ll be glad you did! - Heather Corcoran, Feb. 2006
Besides being one of the most cleverly packaged CDs to come out in the
past year, Anne Harris' Wine and Poetry makes for a delightfully
diverse listen. Like a fine wine, the vocalist/songwriter/fiddler
gets better with time as she unleashes rock, pop, soul, and the
occasional sliver of Americana. Cuts like "Fly" and "Connected"
bounce with brisk acoustics, while "Desperate Day" unfolds with
orchestrated urgency. Harris further connects with her experimental
tendencies on the percussion peppered instrumental finale and
remains tasty until the last drop. - Andy
Argyrakis, February 2006
11/05 Ted Airlines selects "The River" for in-flight playlist
Anne's song 'The River' from Wine and Poetry can be heard on the
airline's Tedtunes in-flight radio Channel 8 through December, 2005.
Called EclecTed, the channel features fresh voices from established
and up and coming artists. If you are flying Ted make sure and tune
in.
11/3/05 Anne appears in new Robbie Fulks video
Anne appears playing fiddle in a new video by Chicago native and
Yep Roc Records recording artist
Robbie Fulks.
The video for the Robbie's song "Georgia Hard" was shot earlier in
2005 at Hideout in Chicago.
9/14/05 Anne Harris appears on Jack's
Big Music Show
Anne will be featured on an episode of
Jack's
Big Music Show, a way-cute new children's program on the Noggin
channel. Anne appears as "Prudence the Music Genie" to grant musical
wishes for Jack, his friend Mary, and his dog Mel. As you might
expect of a Music Genie, she sings and plays a little violin and
mandolin, and even yodels. Cathy Richardson also appears on a few
episodes, as do some other Chicago musicians including Buddy Guy. Update: The "Music Genie" episode, and all the others, have been
airing repeatedly since early September 2005. The series is a hit
among kids, and parents, and work is underway on a brand new season
for 2007.
