About Harry Allen
Harry Allen is an American jazz tenor saxophonist born in Washington, D.C. Allen plays mainstream jazz and bossa nova. He has performed live and recorded with Scott Hamilton, a tenor saxophonist to whom Allen has frequently been compared. He is best known for his work with John Colianni, Dori Caymmi, Keith Ingham, John Pizzarelli, and Bucky Pizzarelli.
Allen's father, Maurice, was a big band drummer. As a child, his father played records for him; these included recordings of tenor saxophonist Paul Gonsalves, which made a lasting impression.
In high school he was an exceptional talent able to play tunes such as Body and Soul in the style of tenor players Coleman Hawkins, Ben Webster, and Flip Phillips. While in high school Allen was also influenced by recordings of Scott Hamilton.
Allen graduated from Rutgers University in 1988.
Allen was described by C. Michael Bailey as "the 'Frank Sinatra' of the tenor saxophone: a master interpreter of standards" in 2008. Along with Scott Hamilton, Allen was considered by British critic Dave Gelly in 2004 to be one of the "finest exponents of swing tenor alive today" in a review of their album Heavy Juice.
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