Photo: Brianmcmillen / CC BY 3.0 (source: Wikimedia Commons)
Barry Harris was born in Detroit, Michigan, United States on December 15, 1929. Barry Harris was listed as a pianist, composer and jazz musician. Death is recorded on December 8, 2021, at the age of 91. Awards on record include Paul Acket Award and NEA Jazz Masters.
My Take
Barry Harris is one of those musicians who makes you feel like bebop is a living language, not a museum piece — and honestly, that was exactly the point of his life's work. Born in Detroit in 1929 and soaked in the tradition of Thelonious Monk and Bud Powell, he became one of the last true keepers of the bebop flame: not just playing it, but teaching it, preaching it, and passing it on to a whole generation that includes Joe Henderson and Charles McPherson. What kills me is that he was still at it well into his 80s, running workshops and sitting down at the piano like he had something urgent to say. He passed away in December 2021, just a week before he would have turned 92, and I find that detail strangely poetic. NEA Jazz Master, Paul Acket Award — the honors caught up with a man who never needed them to prove anything.
This take was written by generative AI, one per person, from publicly reported facts (editorial policy). It is a reading of the record, not reporting.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Barry Harris
- Name (Japanese)
- バリー・ハリス
- Reading
- ばりー・はりす
- Born
- December 15, 1929 – December 8, 2021
- Origin
- Detroit, Michigan, United States
- Occupation
- pianist / composer / jazz musician / musician
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Sagittarius / Snake
2. Background
Awards & achievements
- Paul Acket Award
- NEA Jazz Masters
3. Links
- Official sitehttps://www.barryharris.com/
- Wikipedia (English)https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barry%20Harris
- Wikipedia (Japanese)https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%83%90%E3%83%AA%E3%83%BC%E3%83%BB%E3%83%8F%E3%83%AA%E3%82%B9
- Wikidatahttps://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q809046
4. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
Only publicly available facts are listed; non-public or unconfirmed items are omitted. Base data was compiled from Wikidata from June 2026 onward; ages are recalculated daily and deaths are checked against Wikidata on an ongoing basis. English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.
Frequently asked questions
When was Barry Harris born?
Barry Harris was born on December 15, 1929.
When did Barry Harris die?
Barry Harris died on December 8, 2021, aged 91.
Where was Barry Harris from?
Barry Harris was from Detroit, Michigan, United States.
What did Barry Harris do?
Barry Harris worked as pianist, composer, jazz musician, musician.
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