Harry Skoler
Clarinet
Musician and Educator (Professor, Woodwinds, Berklee College of Music)
Harry Skoler is Professor of Woodwinds at Berklee College of Music.
He received his Bachelor of Music degree from Berklee College of Music, and Master of Music degree from New England Conservatory, where he studied with Jimmy Giuffre.
Harry’s 2022 recording Living In Sound: The Music of Charles Mingus on Sunnyside Records features Christian McBride, Kenny Barron, Johnathan Blake, Nicholas Payton and Jazzmeia Horn in a tribute to the music of Charles Mingus, with arrangements by Ambrose Akinmusire, Darcy James Argue and Fabian Almazan.
The recording charted on JazzWeek and NACC airplay jazz charts in the Top Ten, and Harry was included in features on Mingus in Jazziz and JazzTimes, authored by jazz journalists Ted Panken and Shaun Brady respectively.
Other recordings include Conversations in the Language of Jazz, Reflections on the Art of Swing - A Tribute to Benny Goodman, A Work of Heart on Brownstone Recordings, and Two Ones on Soliloquy Records. Skoler has garnered national and international reviews in JazzTimes, DownBeat, and Jazziz magazines, among others.
He has authored articles on jazz education, including "Pro-Workshop" in DownBeat magazine.
Performances include clubs, festivals, and tours, and as a clinician, has conducted master classes, nationally and internationally. Endorsements include Buffet Crampon and Vandoren.
Photos
Favorite Instruments
Clarinet
Légende clarinet
Videos
Discography
Living In Sound: The Music of Charles Mingus
The Music of Charles Mingus features Harry Skoler/Clarinet, Christian McBride/Bass, Kenny Barron/Piano, Johnathan Blake/Drums, Nicholas Payton/Trumpet and Jazzmeia Horn/Vocals with String Quartet in a tribute to the music of Charles Mingus, with arrangements by Ambrose Akinmusire, Darcy James Argue and Fabian Almazan, capturing the many moods of the iconoclastic Charles Mingus. There are shades of tumult, harmonic depth, conceptual depth, and abandon. A perfect tribute to the legend to mark his centennial year.
Sunnyside Records 2022
Living In Sound: The Music of Charles Mingus
Two Ones
Original jazz compositions featuring intimate portraits expressed through quintet and duo settings. The quintet's unique sound highlights the blend of clarinet, flute, and vibes/piano.
Soliloquy Records 2009
Two Ones
A Work of Heart
Charting in JAZZIZ Magazine's Top Ten "radioACTIVE" Jazz Chart for national radio airplay, this heartfelt, lush recording is a collection of diversified standard and original compositions that features jazz clarinet with six tracks augmented with Strings.
Brownstone Recordings 2000
A Work of Heart
Reflections on the Art of Swing
Reflections on the Art of Swing captures the timelessness of the songs associated with Benny Goodman, played in a unique quartet setting of Clarinet, Vibes, Bass and Drums that reflects a chamber-music approach with a fresh, distinctive "voice".
Brownstone Recordings 1996
Reflections on the Art of Swing
Conversation in the Language of Jazz
Harry Skoler performs songs from the swing era, showcasing the music of Benny Goodman, Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington and their contemporaries. The instrumentation's unique sound features clarinet and vibraphone in a quartet setting. The quartet's distinct arrangements are exacting and delicate. With an emphasis on a lyrical and fluid approach, the ensemble's style can best be described as 'chamber-like'.
Brownstone Recordings 1995
Conversation in the Language of Jazz