By Fredric Dannen

 

In April 1998, the New York-based singer, songwriter, and guitarist Jesse Harris was driving cross-country in an old Cadillac Seville with a fellow musician and happened to make a stop at the University of North Texas in Denton. There, Harris met a young singer and pianist named Norah Jones, who had just turned 19. “She climbed into the front seat, and we spent the day together,” Harris recalls. “We had a jam session that day, and her knowledge of music and singing ability were amazing.” Three years later, Jones had moved to New York City and had secured a recording contract with Blue Note Records. Her debut album, “Come Away with Me,” featured four songs by Jesse Harris, including the album’s opening track, “Don’t Know Why.” The album sold 27 million copies, and the song won the Grammy Award for Song of the Year.

 

Harris has performed twice before in San Miguel de Allende, alongside two musical friends—Mexico City-based Todd Clouser (who National Public Radio calls “a fascinating musician”); and Doug Robinson, the immensely popular San Miguel multi-instrumentalist. But the last San Miguel appearance of the Harris-Clouser-Robinson trio was in 2018.

 

After the long delay imposed by the COVID lockdown, most venues have reopened, albeit with limited seating. One such performance space, El Sindicato cultural center at Recreo 4, has a large stage, a new Yamaha grand piano, high ceilings, good ventilation, and 60 spaced-apart seats—certified a safe venue by the health authorities. Robinson has chosen El Sindicato for his reunion concert with Harris and Clouser.

 

There will be two performances only, at 3pm and 7pm, on Friday, October 29. All seats are 400 pesos and may be purchased online only by visiting boletocity.com. Remaining seats, if any, will be sold at the door. There are no reserved seats, so early arrival is recommended. Face masks are required.

 

Harris will be performing songs from his 2021 album, “Sopresa,” his collaboration with Brazilian legend Vinicius Cantuária. (Stephen Graham, founding editor of Jazzwise magazine, raves that the album “takes your breath away.”) Harris’s solo set will also include selections from his 2020 album “Everlasting Day.”

 

Clouser will debut songs from a forthcoming Jesse Harris-produced record called “Time Is a Healer.” Clouser says, “It will be me on acoustic guitar, singing and talking life of a Minnesotan in Mexico, sobriety, and magic love with a guy I met in a tiny pueblo on the Costa Grande.” Robinson will perform original compositions on grand piano. And for the finale, you can depend on the three friends jamming together.