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The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Monday, June 2, 2003

Grammy-winner Harris playing at Kaua'i festival

By Derek Paiva
Advertiser Entertainment Writer

Norah Jones, with Jesse Harris at this year's Grammy Awards, contributed vocals and piano work on Harris' debut CD "The Secret Sun."

Associated Press library photo • Feb. 23, 2003

"No, there's been no lull," said Jesse Harris, laughing. "There hasn't been a lull for me in about six months."

The New York-based singer/guitarist and songwriter was answering a query about whether there had been some down time since winning his first-ever Grammy this year — a Song of the Year prize for penning Norah Jones' comely wisp of a ballad "Don't Know Why" — and the recent release of his major label debut "The Secret Sun."

But the frenzy had clearly been going on even longer than that.

Harris hasn't had much rest since the five compositions he wrote and played guitar on Jones' multi-Grammy-winning CD "Come Away With Me" — in particular, the smash adult-radio hit "Don't Know Why" — began generating serious music industry buzz late last year.

After years of struggling musicianship in New York-area clubs and bars, it's hardly surprising that all of the attention, accolades and a still-new recording contract with Universal label Verve/Blue Thumb has the 33-year-old Harris pleased, but a bit overwhelmed.

Kaua'i Music Festival

Continues today through Wednesday

Hyatt Regency Kauai Grand Ballroom

All concerts are $20 and start at 8 p.m.

Tickets available at www.kauaimusicfestival.com; for more information call (877) 687-4222.

Tonight

Songwriting competition finals, performances by Jesse Harris, Lamont Dozier and Lisa Loeb

Tomorrow

Hawaiian music night with Hapa, John Cruz, Larry Rivera, Owana Salazar, Malani Bilyeu, Raiatea Helm and others

Wednesday

Gala concert with Jesse Harris, Lamont Dozier, Lisa Loeb, Dweezil Zappa, John Cruz, Leilani Bond, Malani Bilyeu and others

"I've had a lot more offers to write songs ... to co-write, and (there has been) a lot of people who want to check out my catalogue," said Harris, who's turning in performances and a handful of seminars for budding songwriters at this week's inaugural Kaua'i Music Festival.

If you knew who some of these suddenly interested musicians are, it would probably surprise you. But Harris opted to keep any names under wraps — just in case the projects never see the light of day.

Far from being boastful, Harris sounded somewhat embarrassed admitting any of it at length.

"I worked on a lot of stuff last year," Harris said. "There will be a bunch of records coming out with my songs on it." He paused. "I think."

When Jesse met Norah

Harris' compositions — both on "Come Away With Me" and his own "The Secret Sun" — are marvels of beguiling simplicity.

The sentiment of a song like "Don't Know Why" is universal — a little bit of initial romantic ambivalence finished with a touch of wistful melancholia and unresolved longing.

However, Harris' compositional gift (and this goes for much of his oeuvre), is taking feelings instantly recognizable to most from a million other songs and making them seem new with a dash of old school, less-is-more singer-songwriter panache. Songs like "One Flight Down" (on Jones' CD) and "Long Way From Home" on "The Secret Sun" don't immediately grab the ear by being showy or catchy as much as gently nudge it toward affection by being sublimely well-crafted.

Of course, it doesn't hurt to have the breathy vox and skillful delivery of a truly gifted interpreter like Norah Jones crooning your work.

"The first song I actually sent to her was 'One Flight Down' about a month after we met," said Harris.

Jones and Harris first met five years ago when she was a freshman at the University of North Texas-Denton, and he was a struggling New York troubadour with a newly formed band — as it turns out, the first version of his "Secret Sun" sidemen The Ferdinandos.

"I was driving to California, and stopped at her school with my friend Richard to see our friends play a jazz gig," remembered Harris. "And she was assigned by the school to pick up the band at the hotel. We hung out the whole day. She sang us some songs, and we became friends."

The two stayed in touch, forming a band and playing small gigs almost as soon as Jones moved to New York in 2000.

"We kind of figured out — almost by accident, just from her singing one of my songs — that it sounded really amazing," said Harris. "So I ended up showing her a bunch of my songs, and we made a demo recording."

Legendary jazz label Blue Note took an interest in Jones that same summer, after the band had only a few gigs under its belt.

"When it was time to do the recording, a lot of (my) songs were just part of the repertoire of original material she was doing," said Harris, explaining how his compositions wound up on Jones' debut. "I was part of the band so I played (guitar) on a handful of songs on it, too."

An engaging package of acoustic pop, country and folk tied with a silky ribbon of jazz, "Come Away With Me" became the unexpected slow-burn music industry success story of 2002, eventually topping the Billboard Top 200 album chart and winning every one of the eight Grammys it was nominated for. The album has sold 6 million copies.

'The Secret Sun'

Jones didn't invite Harris on tour with her (he was more interested in completing work on "Secret Sun" and playing with The Ferdinandos anyway), but the two remain good friends.

When both are in New York, "We go hear music, go to dinner ... hang out, whatever, ya know?" said Harris, chuckling. Jones even contributes some sweet vocal and piano work to a couple of tracks on Harris' "The Secret Sun."

The album itself is a charming mix of the same understated blend of music styles as Jones' CD, roughened up around the edges by Harris' reedy tenor. What lends "The Secret Sun" its brilliance, however, is Harris' exceptional songwriting skills.

Always good-natured and ego-free during our chat, Harris even accepted in humorous stride a soliloquy about how I couldn't help imagining the many splendored ways Jones would wrap her luxurious vocals around every composition on "The Secret Sun." Of these, the exquisitely torchy ballad "Long Way From Home" stood out most as jonesing for some Jones.

"Yeah, she'd kill that one," agreed Harris, laughing. "She'd be great on that for sure."