In the 80s and 90s, entrepreneurial jazz artists in Boise could head to the Idanha or Grove Hotels to play with one of the world’s best pianists. Music-lovers could sit back and listen to a soul jazz musician with decades of experience. Our city is still better for it, 25 years after his death.
Gene Harris was born in Benton Harbor, Mich. in 1933 and began teaching himself to play piano at six-years-old. After serving in the Army, he began the band Three Sounds, where Harris started honing the warm style of jazz he became known for. He was an ambitious collaborator, playing for larger acts and keeping his band alive while members rotated out.
It wasn’t until 1977 that his path led him to Boise for a “semi-retirement.” With an evident emphasis on “semi,” he released 22 albums over the last 23 years of his life and went back on tour in the 1980s.
When Harris was in Boise, he typically worked at Peter Schott’s, a top-shelf restaurant in the Idanha Hotel, becoming a local celebrity with a personality and style of music that could win over non-believers. “I never knew that I liked jazz!” one happy audience member wrote to the Idaho Statesman in 1985.
Harris’ album “Tribute to Count Basie,” who was an earlier jazz icon, earned him a Grammy nomination in 1988.
Harris died in 2000 at the age of 66. The LA Times’ obituary for Harris complimented his influence and his blues roots, but wrote: “The real heart of his music, however, was its capacity to create a lively connection with his listeners, many of whom were dedicated fans for decades.”
The Gene Harris bandshell in Julia Davis Park has stood for nearly a century and weathered at least one extensive renovation, after a fire in 2018 nearly destroyed it. (Blake Hunter / City Cast Boise)
Gene Harris’ Lasting Legacy
The iconic bandshell in Julia Davis Park, which is now being used as a Treefort Music Fest stage, actually predates Harris’ birth. It was built in 1928, and dedicated to Gene Harris a few months after his death.
Boise State University started the Gene Harris Jazz Festival in 1998, which has continued Harris’ legacy of education through jam nights that run throughout the year. The festival itself brings as many as 1,500 students together for workshops, live performances, and more.
Gene's wife Janie co-wrote his biography, “Elegant Soul: The Life and Music of Gene Harris.” Janie passed away in 2011.
