Lezlie Harrison EHS ’78: “My Music is a Blend of the Soul Music I Grew Up with and the Jazz Music I Grew to Love”

Alumni Spotlight

Jazz Singer Lezlie Harrison ’78: “My music is a blend of the soul music I grew up with and the jazz music I grew to love.”

To understand where jazz singer Lezlie Harison’s music comes from, you need to get into her head. The 1978 graduate of  English High School writes, “The life of a jazz singer is but a journey through captivating destinations, each note echoing the beauty of the world. For me, music is more than just a performance — it’s a passport to exploration. The vibrant tones of jazz have become the soundtrack to a life filled with wanderlust. From the jazz clubs of New Orleans to the sophisticated lounges in Paris, I carry the spirit of improvisation both in music and in travel.” 

After living for five years in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, the New York City native’s mother decided the best education for Lezlie and her two brothers would be in Boston. During the 1970s desegregation plan, students could choose a ‘magnet school’ and Lezlie chose to enter EHS as a sophomore in 1975 because of its Arts program. “

“The skills I learned at English High School continue to serve me.”
Lezlie credits Leslie Hurley and Len Schnable, two English High Theatre Arts teachers, for helping her to cultivate her love for the Performing Arts. “In my debut, I assumed the lead role of Mrs. Maple in Tim Kelly’s musical, The Butler Did It.  I was bitten by the acting bug and went on to pursue a degree in Theatre at UMass Amherst. I moved back to New York City after leaving college and had some success as a working actor. The skills I learned at English High continue to serve me as a professional entertainer.”

Asked about the music that has framed her career, Lezlie explains, “I’m a fan of 70’s Soul and R&B which I heard listening to Boston radio station WILD. As a student at UMass, I was exposed to America’s original art form — jazz. Some of the genre’s geniuses were attending school, living, teaching or performing in or around Amherst – Max Roach and Archie Shepp, to name a few. I was drawn to the musicians and their music and became a radio personality on WMUA playing a mélange of jazz, blues and soul music”.

Legendary Influences
“After returning to New York, my first professional job was working at the country’s premiere jazz station, WBGO, as an on-air host. I was exposed and had access to the greatest musicians in the world. I was able to see and hear, regularly, Abbey Lincoln, Carmen McRae, Phyllis Hyman. I was learning as much as I could being exposed to these musical legends. My music is a blend of the soul music I grew up with and the jazz music I grew to love.

“I am a big fan of the Great American Songbook and the music that I grew up with that informed who I am. James Brown, Stevie Wonder, Steve Miller Band, and Donny Hathaway, to name a few, are some of the greatest composers of the 20th century, and I love reinterpreting those songs with beautiful jazz arrangements.”

She continues, “I am fortunate to travel the world singing for various audiences. I have performed with some of the world’s greatest musicians including the late trumpeter Roy Hargrove, guitarist Stanley Jordan, Paquito D’Rivera and hip-hop legend Dead Prez.  I’ve opened for Cassandra Wilson and I have performed in Europe, Asia, Africa, Turkey, Russia and here at home. I didn’t have any formal training for singing but I do enlist the help of vocal coaches.”

Lezlie’s advice for today’s students: “Once you find what you are passionate about – nurture it, support it and share it!”