NOTE: The free concerts will be held, rain or shine, inside the library or outside in Library Park.

The second of the four Jazz & Blues concerts in Library Park this summer will showcase the acclaimed composer/pianist and Berklee College of Music faculty member Kevin Harris. Known for his exploration of the crossroads and intersections between Thelonious Monk, Miles Davis. J.S. Bach, Scott Joplin, and the folkloric African rhythms of the Caribbean, Harris has performed at national and international venues, including the Blue Note in New York City, Boston, Milan and Beijing; Copenhagen's JazzHus; and Boston's Wally's Jazz Cafe and, with his ensemble, has participated at jazz festivals in Havanna, Cuba; Panama; Umbria, Italy; Denmark, Peru; Israel; and numerous others in the USA.

Harris holds a master's degree in Jazz Performance from the New England Conservatory of Music (NEC) and an undergraduate degree in music education from Morehead State University, KY. At the NEC, he studied with Fred Hersch, Mike Cain, Cecil McBee, George Garzone, and Danilo Perez, and performed with George Russell, Benny Golson and Bob Brookmeyer.  At Berklee College, he coaches ensembles, theory classes, piano labs, and private piano instruction. Harris is also a MIT-affiliated artist. In addition, he has taught classes at the Boston Arts Academy and collaborated with the North Eastern University Fusion Art's Program teaching students from Brazil, India, and South Africa.

Committed to getting youth involved in music, Harris has conducted clinics and master classes in both public and private schools throughout the USA and abroad. In 2000 he started five separate band programs with help from Arts In Progress, a Boston based arts organization. He currently serves as a council member for Music is my First Language, an arts organization based in Brooklyn, NY.