Youthful trumpeter Bruce Harris has recorded an elegant tribute to what is now being called the “Black American Songbook”—compositions by African American artists from the 1920s-‘40s that have become standards. The New Yorker leads his quartet through selections by Eubie Blake, Johnny Mercer, Duke Ellington and others, along with a few originals. The tempos swing easily from ballads to upbeat numbers as Harris takes full control of the melodies, leading them into meaningful (and never excessively extended) solos. Vocalist Samparea McClendon adds a wistful note to Harris’ beautifully conceived “Bird of Red and Gold.”
