Allan Harris

“Poetry of Jazz” is where the spoken word gets its groove. Allan Harris, Harlem’s own modern-day troubadour, takes classic poetry — from Shakespeare’s sonnets to Langston Hughes and the Harlem Renaissance — and drops it into the deep pocket of jazz. With his velvet vocals and magnetic presence, he flows between swinging rhythms and soulful recitations, backed by a razor-sharp jazz trio: Freddie Bryant (guitar), John Wiitala (bass), and Sylvia Cuenca (drums). This concert is a vibe, a conversation between past and present, where jazz and poetry riff, improvise, and redefine cool.