I'm Lewis Harrison - a London-based soulful jazz pianist, vocalist & composer
My piano-led jazz fusion mixes timeless sounds with unique, contemporary elements. The piano - in its various forms and guises - is always front and centre in the arrangement and mix, whether the music being played is busy or calm, rich or sparse, simple or complex, powerful or delicate, or anything in between. Simple electronic bass and drum patterns are often included for stylistic reasons but the piano is the storyteller, sometimes joined by vocals when I sing lyrics or rap poetry. My goal as a musician is to "speak" music fluently, to communicate its message with immediacy, spontaneity and flow, without self-conscious posturing.
Music is how I make sense of life - it's like therapy
I love real live music and the irrepressible, spontaneous spirit of jazz. I've experimented with soulful jazz on the piano since my teens, although finding the confidence to share it publicly was a challenge. My musical journey is complicated. Too much pressure placed on me as a child doing classical piano competitions left me sensitive to the more competitive, commercial aspects of the music industry and the way it can turn music into a fashion or status object. For me, music is not an external thing at all but rather an inner, universal language of feeling that we all understand. It tells our inner stories, expresses deep experiences, and describes inner worlds beyond the scope of words. It offers genuine solace, catharsis, joy and connection.
My inspiration for this project
Lewis Harrison is not my birth name (that's Phil Best - the name of my classical piano project) but it has great personal significance. My childhood was difficult, but I was encouraged to be defiantly myself by my Grandma, whose name was Louise Harrison. The seeds she planted in me musically have grown into this project. She helped me understand that my role as a musician is to be a storyteller, commenting on the human experience with candour and vulnerability.
