One of the more esoteric trombonists of the avant-garde, Craig Harris has been an original stylist throughout his career. He played in R&B bands early on, graduated from college in 1976, and had stints with Sun Ra (1976-1978) and Abdullah Ibrahim (1979-1981). During the 1980s and '90s, he worked with the who's who of the avant-garde, including David Murray's octet and big band, Henry Threadgill, Lester Bowie's Brass Fantasy, Olu Dara, Cecil Taylor, Sam Rivers, Muhal Richard Abrams, and Charlie Haden's Liberation Orchestra. Craig Harris has also led a few of his own groups (best known are Tailgater's Tales and the R&B-ish Cold Sweat), and has recorded as a leader for several labels including India Navigation, Soul Note, and JMT. ~ Scott Yanow