REMI HARRIS

IN ON THE 2 Yardbird Arts ✪✪✪✪ ✪

Upcoming jazz guitarist, Remi Harris sure has chops, as his second album clearly shows. With just acoustic guitar and upright bass, he recorded lead parts first then rhythm with bassist, Mike Green. An unusual process but the results sound real and organic with strong interplay. While all 11 tracks are covers, Remi has a lot of personality on his Flyde acoustic with strums, string bends and crisply-executed runs. Can’t Buy Me Love has an infectious swing rhythm and Cissy Strut has great rhythmic swagger; the bluesy bends and twisting chromatic phrases on the latter will surely raise a smile. Dhafer Youssef’s Odd Elegy is exotic both rhythmically and harmonically; the explosive strumming and biting melodies grabbing the attention. Closer, Need Your Love So Bad is the only track featuring an electric melody. As famous as this blues standard is, Remi breathes new life into it as he stylistically straddles gyspy swing with a spring reverb-effected electric that swells, bites and bends with real panache.