The Loston Harris Trio will perform the music of Nat King Cole at the Peddie School.
By: Susan Van Dongen
Pianist and vocalist Lostin Harris certainly sounds like he’s been living a charmed life. While a percussion student at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, he was discovered by the legendary Ellis Marsalis.
The patriarch of the musical Marsalis family coaxed him away from drums and percussion toward jazz piano, which Mr. Harris mastered. The young keyboardist then rediscovered Nat King Cole which convinced Mr. Harris to try his hand at being a vocalist who, like Nat King Cole, accompanied himself. This new career path triggered rave reviews, national and international tours, a recording contract, and gigs at such high powered affairs as various and sundry as Oscar parties and celebrity weddings (including the nuptials of Star Jones). Now Mr. Harris plays regularly at the Carlyle Hotel in Manhattan and also resides there.
If that isn’t enough, Town and Country Magazine voted him one of "America’s Ten Sexiest Men."
The Los Angeles Times wrote that he is "…a talent on the verge of happening," so catch Mr. Harris before he goes supernova. Central New Jersey music lovers can do just this when he performs at the Peddie School Sept. 24. The Loston Harris Trio Performing the Music of Nat King Cole and More is the first in a series of Light Sunday concerts.
For such a heralded musician, vocalist and almost-celebrity, Mr. Harris is down-to-earth, almost gee-whiz about his dramatic rise. He’s extremely grateful for the elder Marsalis intervening in his musical career, noting that Mr. Marsalis felt Mr. Harris had a natural gift for the piano even though he had only played briefly as a child.
"My mother gave me piano lessons when I was a kid but I quit after two days," Mr. Harris says. "I didn’t understand what (Ellis) saw or heard but he stayed after class and worked with me privately. I don’t know where I would be now if it hadn’t been for him. I picked up the piano at age 20, a bit late in the game, but it’s been a passion and a joy and I think it was meant to be. I’m very much at home on the instrument."
The Marsalises mentored Mr. Harris again when Wynton Marsalis invited him to play and tour with the acclaimed Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra. He also urged the pianist to study the history of the jazz piano, which meant going back to early pioneers like Jelly Roll Morton and Earl "Fatha" Hines.
"He (Hines) was the pianist for Louis Armstrong’s band and one of Nat Cole’s favorite pianists, which led me to listen to Nat Cole," Mr. Harris says. "I said, ‘Wow, this is really what I want to do.’ To hear him singing and accompanying himself was a perfect way to blend jazz and popular song. He reached a wider audience, but also maintained the integrity of the music.
"Nat Cole was the motivation for me to get started," he continues. "I picked up the phone and called (Mr. Cole’s) brother Freddie and he was completely encouraging. Now he’s a friend and a mentor."
Most people probably know Nat King Cole as the velvet voice behind such classics as "Mona Lisa," "Sweet Lorraine," "The Christmas Song" and his signature tune, "Unforgettable." But before he was a celebrity vocalist, Mr. Cole founded the King Cole Trio, recording cool, minimalist gems like "Straighten Up and Fly Right." It was this era of Mr. Cole’s career that captured Mr. Harris’ imagination.
"He’s one of the most brilliant musicians in that he was able to master the art of accompanying himself," Mr. Harris says. "The other thing I liked about his trio was that he didn’t use a drummer, just piano, bass and guitar. We use piano, bass and trumpet, a tip of the hat to the King Cole Trio. But we have our own sound and style this is not a recreation."
The trio includes Marcus Parsley on trumpet and Chris Berger on bass, a combo that has been together for five harmonious years.
"We’ve been doing the classics but putting our stamp on it," Mr. Harris says. "We pride ourselves on the whole range of the American songbook. People like to say that we play in the styles of Nat Cole, but it’s the music that’s really the key the composers like Sammy Cahn, Cole Porter and George Gershwin. These happen to be great songs and we always look forward to playing them."
Mr. Harris is also aware that the golden age of composers like Porter, Gershwin and Harold Arlen isn’t as vibrant as it used to be. The well of great American songs needs to be refilled, hopefully by new composers. That’s why Mr. Harris penned a number of original songs for his latest CD, Timeless (Q&W Music).
"It’s my way of trying to contribute to the music and keep the art form going," Mr. Harris says. "I enjoy composing in the style of standards and classic songs and that’s our goal to keep the torch going. I think guys like the late Nat Cole and Frank Sinatra would want us to do that."
The Loston Harris Trio will perform the music of Nat King Cole and more at the Mount-Burke Theater, Peddie School, South Main Street, Hightstown, Sept. 24, 2 p.m. Tickets cost $16. For information, call (609) 490-7550. Future events in the Light Sunday series include Chevalier: Maurice and Me, starring Tony Sandler, Nov. 12, and Quinn Lemley is Rita Hayworth in The Heat is On, April 29, 2007. Subscription price for all three events is $40. On the Web: www.peddie.org/capps. Loston Harris on the Web: www.lostonharris.com

