Everette Harp

Biography

Everette Harp started playing piano at two, and began practicing saxophone at the age of four. The youngest of the eight children of a minister, and piano/organist mother gospel music was one of Harp's earliest influences. Harp started playing jazz in high school (High School for Performing and Visual Arts, Houston), and attended North Texas State University as a music major in the early 1980s. While there he joined Phi Beta Sigma. Working as an accountant for a short time, Harp played in local Houston bands, most notably a local jazz/funk group called The Franchise, which released its own album locally, which included the first recording of Harp's "There's Still Hope" in 1987. Harp moved to Los Angeles in 1988. He immediately toured briefly with Teena Marie, and then internationally with songstress Anita Baker. A position he was asked to play by pianistproducer legend George Duke. In 1990 George Duke signed Harp to a production deal, through Capitol Records, to record with a little known group he had constructed named 101 North. George Duke's hopes that Everette would get a solo deal with Bluenote Records would almost immediately be realized when then president of Bluenote Records, Bruce Lundvall, chose to sign Everette to his first solo deal before the 101 North. record was released. In 1992 Bluenote Records released Harp's eponymous solo debut, produced by George Duke, to great success.

Soon after, Harp appeared at the Montreux Jazz Festival as a featured guest artist presented by George Duke, and began weekly appearances on The Arsenio Hall Show. Harp appeared on the John Tesh produced "Sax By The Fire", which led to his appearing on the theme song for the Entertainment Tonight show, which was also produced by John Tesh. This same year George Duke featured Harp in the recording of the new theme for the weekly Soul Train television show. For a period of 10 yrs. Harp could be heard nightly on the Entertainment Tonight theme, and weekly on the Soul Train theme, making Harp one of the more pervasive saxophonist seen, and heard on television at the time. Harp also had the distinct pleasure of sharing the stage with newly inaugurated President Bill Clinton at the Arkansas Ball in 1992. An event which was ubiquitous on television and in the press. All of these accolades, along with the success of Harp's debut solo recording, the Arsenio Hall Show, performances with Anita Baker, his signature pony-tail and muscular physic, Harp quickly became an easily recognizable figure. Harp goes a long way in acknowledging his good friend, mentor, and idol George Duke as the impetus for so many opportunities afforded him. Something Harp would proclaim even after the untimely passing of George Duke in 2013. The relationship between Harp and Duke was so tightly intertwined that from the period of 1990-2013 neither Harp, nor Duke, would record a solo record without the others presence on it.

He continued to play and tour with musicians including Chaka Khan, George Duke, Chante Moore, Anita Baker, John Tesh, Kenny Loggins, Brenda Russell, Marcus Miller, Dianne Reeves, Joe Sample, Wayne Henderson, Bobby Lyle. He continued his television and studio recording obligations, and his solo recording career. During the 1990s Harp became a staple in the LA TV and recording studio scene showing up on many recordings, and fastly becoming a favorite of such famed producers as Kenny "Babyface" Edmonds, Peter Wolf, Stanley Clarke, Marcus Miller, Peter Asher, and Barry Eastmond among others. A few of the artist Harp has recorded for includes: George Duke, Aretha Franklin, Kenny "Babyface" Edmonds, Rachelle Farrell, Chante Moore, Kenny Loggins, Stanley Clarke, Al Jarreau, Dionne Warwick, The Pointer Sisters, Neil Diamond, Billy Joel, Chaka Khan, Deniece Williams, Go West, Patti Labelle, Luther Vandross, Regina Belle, The Jazz Crusaders, Phil Perry, Natalie Cole, Bobby Lyle, international recording artist Eros Ramazzotti, and Peter Maffay to name a few. Harp also frequented several television talk shows during this time including, The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, a regular on The Arsenio Hall Show, The Stephanie Miller Show, The Donny and Marie Show, The Tavis Smiley Show, Soul Train Awards and Christmas Specials, and appeared on morning shows nationwide. In later years Harp reduced his side gigs to focus on his solo career. Harp has also performed at the Omaha Blues, Jazz, & Gospel Festival held annually in North Omaha, Nebraska in August. He also performed on "Soul Train '93" (Know You Like to Dance)" with the rap group Naughty by Nature in 1993.

Harp has been featured recently with internationally renowned Italian recording pop star Eros Ramazzotti on his 2009 and 2013 world tours, as well as DVD recordings. He has also recorded and toured with renowned German recording pop rock artist Peter Maffay in 2014 to present.

Harp's most recent jazz recording is the "Jazz Funk Soul" cd on the Shanachie label released in July 2014. This recording is a collaboration with renowned jazz legends guitarist Chuck Loeb (Jazz), and keyboardist Jeff Lorber (Funk) with whom Harp (Soul) had been touring with in 2014 as a package. The subsequent recording resulted in the first Grammy nomination for Harp, and nominations for Loeb and Lorber who have received nominations in prior years.

Discography

Collaborations