Eric Harland (born November 8, 1976, in

Houston Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

) is an American

jazz drummer Jazz drumming is the art of playing percussion (predominantly the drum kit, which includes a variety of drums and cymbals) in jazz styles ranging from 1910s-style Dixieland jazz to 1970s-era jazz fusion and 1980s-era Latin jazz. The techniques an ...

. In addition to leading his own group, Harland is a member of Charles Lloyd's Quartet,

Dave Holland Dave Holland or David Holland may refer to: *Dave Holland (bassist) David Holland (born 1 October 1946) is an English double bassist, bass guitarist, cellist, composer and bandleader who has been performing and recording for five decades. He has ...

's Prism, James Farm with

Joshua Redman Joshua Redman (born February 1, 1969) is an American jazz saxophonist and composer. He is the son of jazz saxophonist Dewey Redman (1931–2006). Life and career Joshua Redman was born in Berkeley, California, to jazz saxophonist Dewey Redman a ...

, and Taylor Eigsti's Trio. He has also been a member of

McCoy Tyner Alfred McCoy Tyner (December 11, 1938March 6, 2020) was an American jazz piano, jazz pianist and composer known for his work with the John Coltrane Quartet from 1960 to 1965, and his long solo career afterwards. He was an NEA Jazz Masters, NEA J ...

's Quartet,

Kurt Rosenwinkel Kurt Rosenwinkel (born October 28, 1970) is an American jazz guitarist, composer, bandleader, producer, educator, keyboardist and record label owner. Biography Born in Philadelphia to a musical family, Rosenwinkel began taking piano lessons when ...

's Standards Trio, Aaron Goldberg's Trio, Julian Lage's Trio, Chris Potter's Trio, and

Terence Blanchard Terence Oliver Blanchard (born March 13, 1962) is an American jazz trumpeter and composer. He has also written two operas and more than 80 film and television scores. Blanchard has been nominated for two Academy Awards for Original Score for ''B ...

's Quintet, among other groups. He was a member of the

SFJAZZ Collective The SFJAZZ Collective is an American jazz ensemble comprising nine performer/composers, launched in 2004 by SFJAZZ, a West Coast non-profit jazz institution and the presenter of the annual San Francisco Jazz Festival. Collective activities The ...

from 2005 to 2012.

Biography

Harland began his professional career in 1993 playing locally in

, Texas, as he finished high school at the High School for the Performing and Visual Arts, where many notable performers have studied. Harland won first chair in 1992–93 with the Regional and All State Texas Jazz Band. He received a special Citation for Outstanding Musicianship in 1994 from the International Association for Jazz Education. During a workshop in high school,

Wynton Marsalis Wynton Learson Marsalis (born October 18, 1961) is an American trumpeter, composer, and music instructor, who is currently the artistic director of Jazz at Lincoln Center. He has been active in promoting classical and jazz music, often to young ...

encouraged Harland to study in New York City. After graduation Harland attended the

Manhattan School of Music The Manhattan School of Music (MSM) is a private music conservatory A music school is an educational institution specialized in the study, training, and research of music. Such an institution can also be known as a school of music, music a ...

with a full scholarship in their music program. After music school he went on to study Theology at

Houston Baptist University Houston Christian University (HCU), formerly Houston Baptist University (HBU), is a private Baptist university in Houston, Texas. It is affiliated with the Baptist General Convention of Texas. Its Cultural Arts Center houses three museums: the ...

(College of Biblical Studies) and was subsequently ordained as a Minister. Harland has been featured on over 80 recordings with various artists. Among these recordings, '' Let's Get Lost'' and '' Wandering Moon'' (

), ''Back East'' (

), and ''Land of Giants'' (

) were nominated for

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious ...

s. With Blanchard and

Spike Lee Shelton Jackson "Spike" Lee (born March 20, 1957) is an American film director, producer, screenwriter, actor, and author. His work has continually explored race relations, issues within the black community, the role of media in contemporary ...

, Harland has performed in 18 motion picture movie scores, including '' The Caveman's Valentine'', ''

Original Sin Original sin () in Christian theology refers to the condition of sinfulness that all humans share, which is inherited from Adam and Eve due to the Fall of man, Fall, involving the loss of original righteousness and the distortion of the Image ...

'', ''

People I Know ''People I Know'' is a 2002 crime drama film directed by Daniel Algrant. The film stars Al Pacino, Kim Basinger, Ryan O'Neal and Téa Leoni. ''People I Know'' premiered in Italy on October 11, 2002, and was released in the United States on ...

'', and '' Dark Blue''. Harland has toured and recorded with Mark Turner,

Larry Grenadier Larry Grenadier (born February 6, 1966, in San Francisco) is an American jazz double bassist. Early life Grenadier's father was a trumpet player in World War II army bands and later in Europe but stopped playing professionally before his chi ...

, Ravi Coltrane, Wynton Marsalis,

Betty Carter Betty Carter (born Lillie Mae Jones; May 16, 1929 – September 26, 1998) was an American jazz singer known for her improvisational technique, scatting and other complex musical abilities that demonstrated her vocal talent and imaginative inter ...

Joe Henderson Joe Henderson (April 24, 1937 – June 30, 2001) was an American jazz tenor saxophonist and very occasional flute player. In a career spanning more than four decades, Henderson played with many of the leading American players of his day an ...

, Walter Smith III, Aaron Parks,

John Patitucci John Patitucci (born December 22, 1959) is an American jazz bassist and composer. Biography John James Patitucci was born in Brooklyn, New York. He began playing the electric bass at age 10, performing and composing at age 12, and at age 15, s ...

, Zakir Hussain, and others. In ''

DownBeat ''DownBeat'' (styled in all caps) is an American music magazine devoted to "jazz, blues and beyond", the last word indicating its expansion beyond the jazz realm that it covered exclusively in previous years. The publication was established in 1 ...

s 65th Annual Readers Poll, Harland was included on the short list of world's most recognized drummers along with

Elvin Jones Elvin Ray Jones (September 9, 1927 – May 18, 2004) was an American jazz drummer of the post-bop era. Most famously a member of John Coltrane's quartet, with whom he recorded from late 1960 to late 1965, Jones appeared on such albums as ''My Fa ...

and

Roy Haynes Roy Owen Haynes (March 13, 1925 – November 12, 2024) was an American jazz drummer. In the 1950s, he was given the nickname "Snap Crackle" for his distinctive snare drum sound and musical vocabulary. He is among the most recorded drummers in ja ...

. He also won the 2008 and 2009 Critics Polls for Rising Star on the Drums. Harland was featured in the September 2002 and November 2009 issues of ''

Modern Drummer ''Modern Drummer'' is a monthly publication targeting the interests of drummers and percussionists. The magazine features interviews, equipment reviews, columns offering advice on technique, and information for the general public. ''Modern Dru ...

''. Harland released his debut album, ''Voyager: Live by Night'', in late 2010. It features Walter Smith III, Julian Lage, Taylor Eigsti and Harish Raghavan. Harland's second album, ''Vipassana'', was released on August 11, 2014. In April 2017, Harland opened a state-of-the-art

recording studio A recording studio is a specialized facility for Sound recording and reproduction, recording and Audio mixing, mixing of instrumental or vocal musical performances, spoken words, and other sounds. They range in size from a small in-home proje ...

in New York City called GSI Studios, with partners Daniel Rovin and Austin White.

Discography

As leader

* ''Voyager: Live by Night'' (Space Time, 2011) * ''Vipassana'' (GSI, 2014) * ''13th Floor'' (GSI, 2018)

As group

* ''Live 2005: 2nd Annual Concert Tour - The Works of John Coltrane'' (SFJAZZ, 2005) CD* ''Live 2006: 3rd Annual Concert Tour - The Music of Herbie Hancock'' (SFJAZZ, 2006) CD* ''Live 2007: 4th Annual Concert Tour - The Works of Thelonious Monk'' (SFJAZZ, 2007) CD* ''Live 2008: 5th Annual Concert Tour - The Works of Wayne Shorter'' (SFJAZZ, 2008) CD* ''Wonder'' (SFJAZZ, 2012) – compilation James Farm
With

, Aaron Parks and Matt Penman *''James Farm'' ( Nonesuch, 2011) *''City Folk'' (Nonesuch, 2014)

As sideman

With

* '' Wandering Moon'' (Sony, 2000) – recorded in 1999 * '' Let's Get Lost'' (Sony, 2001) * '' Bounce'' (Blue Note, 2003) With Ravi Coltrane * ''From the Round Box'' (RCA Victor, 2000) – recorded in 1999 * ''Spirit Fiction'' (Blue Note, 2012) With Taylor Eigsti * ''Let It Come to You'' (Concord, 2008) * ''Daylight at Midnight'' (Concord, 2010) * ''Tree Falls'' (GSI, 2021) With Aaron Goldberg * ''Turning Point'' (J-Curve, 1999) * ''Unfolding'' (J-Curve, 2001) * ''Worlds'' (Sunnyside, 2006) * ''Home'' (Sunnyside, 2010) * ''Bienestan'' (Sunnyside, 2011) * ''The Now'' (Sunnyside, 2014) With Jimmy Greene * ''True Life Stories'' (Criss Cross, 2006) * ''Mission Statement'' (Sunnyside, 2009) With Rigmor Gustafsson * ''Close to You'' (ACT, 2004) * ''Alone with You'' (ACT, 2007) With

* 2007: '' Pass It On'' (Dare2, 2008) * 2012: ''

Prism PRISM is a code name for a program under which the United States National Security Agency (NSA) collects internet communications from various U.S. internet companies. The program is also known by the SIGAD . PRISM collects stored internet ...

'' (Dare2, 2013) * 2015: '' Aziza'' (Dare2, 2016) With Rodney Jones * ''Right Now'' (Minor Music, 1996) * ''The "X" Field'' (MusicMasters, 1996) * ''The Undiscovered Few'' (Blue Note, 1999) With Stephanie K. * ''Subterranean Dream'' (Musicom, 2007) With Kathy Kosins * ''Vintage'' (Mahogany, 2005) * ''Uncovered Soul'' (Maristar, 2018) With Charles Lloyd * '' Jumping the Creek'' (ECM, 2005) – recorded in2004 * '' Sangam'' (ECM, 2006) * '' Rabo de Nube'' (ECM, 2008) * ''

Mirror A mirror, also known as a looking glass, is an object that Reflection (physics), reflects an image. Light that bounces off a mirror forms an image of whatever is in front of it, which is then focused through the lens of the eye or a camera ...

'' (ECM, 2010) * '' Athens Concert'' (ECM, 2011) * '' I Long to See You'' (Blue Note, 2016) * '' Passin' Thru'' (Blue Note, 2017) * ''Vanished Gardens'' (Blue Note, 2018) * '' 8: Kindred Spirits (Live from the Lobero)'' (Blue Note, 2019) With

Greg Osby Greg Osby (born August 3, 1960) is an American saxophonist and composer. Biography Born in St. Louis, Missouri, Osby studied at Howard University, then at the Berklee College of Music. He moved to New York City in 1982, where he played with Jak ...

* ''Further Ado'' (Blue Note, 1997) * ''Inner Circle'' (Blue Note, 2002) With Chris Potter * '' The Sirens'' (ECM, 2013) * '' Circuits'' (Edition, 2019) * '' Sunrise Reprise'' (Edition, 2021) With

* '' The Remedy'' (ArtistShare, 2008) CD– live recorded in2006 * '' Reflections'' (Wommusic, 2009) With Mark Shim * ''Mind Over Matter'' (Blue Note, 1998) * ''Turbulent Flow'' (Blue Note, 2000) With Alex Sipiagin * ''Destinations Unknown'' (Criss Cross, 2011) * ''Overlooking Moments'' (Criss Cross, 2013) * ''Balance 38-58'' (Criss Cross, 2015) * ''Moments Captured'' (Criss Cross, 2017) * ''NoFo Skies'' (Blue Room Music, 2019) With Walter Smith III * ''Casually Introducing'' (Fresh Sound, 2006) * ''III'' (Criss Cross, 2010) * ''Twio'' (Whirlwind, 2018) With Dayna Stephens * ''The Timeless Now'' (CTA, 2007) * ''Peace'' (Sunnyside, 2014) * ''Liberty'' (Contagious Music, 2020) With Baptiste Trotignon * ''Share'' (Naive, 2008) * ''Suite...'' (Naive, 2009) With

* ''Land of Giants'' (Telarc, 2003) – recorded in 2002 * ''Afro Blue'' (Telarc, 2007) – compilation With others *

Joey Alexander Josiah Alexander Sila (born 25 June 2003), known professionally as Joey Alexander, is an Indonesian jazz pianist. He became the first Indonesian musician to perform on the Grammy Awards as well as to chart on Billboard 200, ''Billboard'' 200 wh ...

, ''Eclipse'' (Motema, 2018) – recorded in 2017 *

Diego Barber Diego Barber is a classical and jazz guitarist. He has recorded albums for Sunnyside Records, Sunnyside and Origin Records. Early life Barber was born into a family of musicians. He studied at the Lanzarote Conservatory of Music with Miguel Áng ...

, ''One Minute Later'' (Sunnyside, 2017) * Steve Barry, ''In the Waves'' (Earshift Music, 2023) * Monika Borzym, ''Girl Talk'' (Sony, 2011) * Zach Brock, ''Almost Never Was'' (Criss Cross, 2012) * Donald Brown, ''Fast Forward to the Past'' (Space Time, 2008) *

Billy Childs William Edward Childs (born March 8, 1957) is an American composer, jazz pianist, arranger and conductor from Los Angeles, California, United States. Early life When he was 16, Childs attended the Community School of the Performing Arts sponsored ...

, ''Rebirth'' (Mack Avenue, 2017) *

Theo Croker Theodore Lee Croker (born July 18, 1985) is an American jazz trumpeter, composer, producer and vocalist. He is a Grammy Award nominee, three-time Echo Award nominee, as well as a Theodore Presser Award recipient. Croker has released over seve ...

, ''Star People Nation'' (Masterworks, 2019) *

Lars Danielsson Lars Danielsson (born 5 September 1958) is a Swedish jazz bassist, composer, and record producer. Biography Danielsson was born in Smålandsstenar, and was educated at the music conservatory in Gothenburg. He plays double bass, electric bass ...

, ''Tarantella'' (ACT, 2009) – recorded in 2008 * Stefano di Battista, ''Trouble Shootin'' (Blue Note, 2007) *

Liberty Ellman Liberty Ellman (born July 17, 1971) is a jazz guitarist born in London and raised in the United States, beginning in New York City. In the early 1980s, Ellman's family moved to California. Before leaving New York, he attended City and Country Sch ...

, ''Tactiles'' (Pi, 2003) * John Escreet, ''Learn to Live'' (Blue Room Music, 2018) *

Kenny Garrett Kenny Garrett (born October 9, 1960) is an American post-bop jazz musician and composer who gained recognition in his youth as a member of the Duke Ellington Orchestra and for his time with Miles Davis's band. Garrett's primary instruments are ...

, ''Standard of Language'' (Warner Bros., 2003) *

Stefon Harris Stefon DeLeon Harris (born March 23, 1973) is an American jazz vibraphonist. Biography A native of Albany, New York, Harris intended to work for the New York Philharmonic until he heard the music of Charlie Parker. During the 1990s he recorded ...

, ''Black Action Figure'' (Blue Note, 1999) * Jose James, ''Yesterday I Had the Blues'' (Blue Note, 2015) * Sara Leib, Secret Love (OA2, 2012) * Michael Leonhart, ''Suite Extracts Vol. 1'' (Sunnyside, 2019) * Lionel Loueke, ''Close Your Eyes'' (Newvelle, 2018) * Takashi Matsunaga, ''Today'' (Somethin' Else, 2004) * Ross McHenry, ''Nothing Remains Unchanged'' (First Word, 2020) * Bill Mobley, ''Moodscape'' (Space Time, 2007) * Jason Moran, '' Soundtrack to Human Motion'' (Blue Note, 1999) – recorded in 1998 * Mike Moreno, ''Lotus'' (World Culture Music, 2015) * Wolfgang Muthspiel, ''Where the River Goes'' (ECM, 2018) * Aaron Parks, '' Invisible Cinema'' (Blue Note, 2008) *

, ''Back East'' (Nonesuch, 2007) * Bob Reynolds, ''Can't Wait for Perfect'' (Fresh Sound, 2006) * Edward Simon, ''The Process'' (Criss Cross, 2002) * Shayna Steele, ''Rise'' (Ropeadope, 2015) * Helen Sung, ''Going Express'' (Sunnyside, 2011) * John Swana, ''On Target'' (Criss Cross, 2003) *

Gregory Tardy Gregory Tardy (born February 3, 1966) is an American jazz saxophonist and clarinetist, who has released albums for the record labels WJ3 Records SteepleChase Records, J Curve Records, and Impulse! Records.Allmusic discography/ref> He has played w ...

, ''Serendipity'' (Impulse!, 1998) *

Jacky Terrasson Jacky Terrasson (born November 27, 1965) is a French jazz pianist and composer. Background Terrasson's mother is African-American from Georgia, and his father is French. From his parents he heard classical music as a child. He began piano lesson ...

, ''

Smile A smile is a facial expression formed primarily by flexing the muscles at the sides of the mouth. Some smiles include a contraction of the muscles at the corner of the eyes, an action known as a Duchenne smile. Among humans, a smile expresses d ...

'' (Blue Note, 2002) * Myron Walden, ''Hypnosis'' (NYC 1996) *

Ben Wendel Ben Wendel (born February 20, 1976) is a Canadian jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, ...

, ''The Seasons'' (Motema, 2018) *

Yelena Eckemoff Yelena Eckemoff is a Russian-born pianist, composer, poet, and visual artist. Her compositions blend classical music with jazz, and feature exploration and improvisation. Music career Eckemoff was born in Moscow, Russia, in the Soviet Union. He ...

, ''Lonely Man and His Fish'' (L & H Production, 2023)

Filmography

* '' Bojangles'' (2001) * ''

Bamboozled ''Bamboozled'' is a 2000 American satirical black comedy-drama film written and directed by Spike Lee about a modern televised minstrel show featuring black actors donning blackface makeup and the resulting violent fallout from the show's succe ...

'' * ''

'' * '' The Caveman's Valentine'' * '' Dark Blue'' * '' Pig Hunt'' * ''Euphoria'' (2022) Source:

References

External links

''Jazz Times'' article

2013 Interview with Eric Harland from ''I'd Hit That'' podcast
{{DEFAULTSORT:Harland, Eric 1976 births Living people Jazz musicians from Houston Drummers from Houston High School for the Performing and Visual Arts alumni 20th-century American drummers 20th-century American male musicians 21st-century American drummers 21st-century American male musicians American jazz drummers American male drummers American male jazz musicians SFJAZZ Collective members