Tracks Of My Years: Remi Harris

Remi!

e was just a lad of seven when Remi Harris first picked up a guitar, inspired by his dad rockin’ out to the likes of Led Zeppelin, The Beatles, Neil Young, Jimi Hendrix and beyond…

Somehow, even at that tender age, young Remi knew he wanted to be a guitar hero. Just like his dad.

“His musical tastes definitely rubbed off on me,” says Harris. “The fact that The Sex Pistols were in there as well as Chuck Berry, it meant that I had the full widescreen version of rock’n’roll, from its roots to its uprooting. But, at the core, it’s always the blues, and that’s what I’ve always been drawn to the most.”

Having played in a series of bands throughout his teens, Remi started moving on to bigger, brighter, more complex things when he hit 20, embracing the likes of Django Reinhardt, Wes Montgomery, Stan Getz and all those other jazz guitar gurus.

“I was working in a guitar shop at this time,” he explains, “and my boss, Trevor Davies, played jazz guitar, so, he helped me out by showing me some music theory and my first jazz standards. Since then, I’ve just tried to continue learning as much as I can about music from many genres, in the hope that all my influences will mix together and help me create my own distinct voice on the guitar…”

You can hear that unique voice when Remi Harris comes to The Whale for one of our very special and hugely popular dinner dates on Saturday, October 12th. In the meantime, we asked the amicable axeman to reveal his string-driven heroes…

Led Zeppelin Heartbreaker
Growing up I was a huge Led Zeppelin fan and they are still one of my favourite bands now.

Jimi Hendrix Johnny Be Goode (Live)
For me this is one of Jimi’s most inspired performances. I’m not sure if driven electric guitar can ever sound any better than this.

Django Reinhardt Song D’Automne
I couldn’t pick 10 favourite recordings without including Django.

Wes Montgomery Besame Mucho (Take 2)
Wes Montgomery is one of my favourite guitarists and I love his playing on this recording.

Beethoven Piano Sonata No 8 Adagio Cantabile
A really beautiful melody.

The Beatles The End
The Beatles are one of the reasons I play guitar today. They were part of the soundtrack of my childhood. I’ve always loved this track, I remember watching my Dad playing along with it when I was a little boy.

Gary Potter Confessin’ (That I Love You)
Gary’s playing has been a huge inspiration for me. He has one of the most unique playing styles out there.

The Stone Roses Tears
I think The Stone Roses Second Coming is one of the most underrated guitar albums ever.

Steve Aston Laika
Steve was a close friend of mine, he sadly passed away recently but his music will live on. He was one of the most unique composers in the world of gypsy jazz.

Joe Pass How High The Moon
This recording floors me every time I listen to it. No effects, no amplifiers, no band, just one man on an acoustic jazz guitar improvising on a jazz standard.

You can catch Remi Harris at The Whale on Saturday, October 12th, with the option of having one of Bear Paw’s rather fine dining experiences too. Boom!