Stefon Harris & Blackout (USA)
Stefon Harris, vibraphone + Blackout (USA)
For a decade, Stefon Harris’ ensemble Blackout seemed to have vanished. Then, in 2009, in the bold album “Urbanus,” the modern jazz vibraphone linchpin led his quintet through a mix of Gershwin interpretations and Jackie McLean covers, with a nod to Stevie Wonder along the way. Fusing jazz vibraphone with strong interests in R&B and Latin sounds, Harris has explored the frontiers of his instrument since first emerging in the late 1990s.