Karla Harris

Jazz vocalist Karla Harris has made a career within the art form she loves for more than three decades, captivating audiences from Portland to Provence. Her performance credits include events such as the Sarasota Jazz Festival, Portland Jazz Festival, Atlanta Jazz Festival, Oregon Coast Jazz Party, Nantucket Arts Festival, Atlanta Jazz Party, and a TED Talk.

Karla’s art lies not only in expansive vocals but also in tapping into the emotion of a tune and delivering it fully. Bringing dynamic diversity and sophisticated nuance to the music, she remains respectful of a song’s roots. “She lends her pulse to be a part of the heartbeat of the entire process, vocals and instrumentals,” writes AXS.com, “and the strange meandering force that lies between.” Critical Jazz says, “Rich, full-bodied and with a slight buttery finish, Karla Harris has mad skills – a vocal artist with impeccable phrasing and the innate gift to have the band play with and not around her.”

While in college, Karla began singing with the St. Louis Jazz Quartet, a group featuring highly regarded regional jazz vocalist Jeanne Trevor, an early mentor. Karla soon began working regularly with St. Louis’ top groups. In the early 2000s, she was lead vocalist in combos led by internationally acclaimed bassist Tom Kennedy, whose credits include such greats as Rosemary Clooney, Freddie Hubbard, Mike Stern, Lee Ritenour, Ben Vereen, Dave Weckl, and more. An invaluable experience, it helped pave the way when a 2005 move to the Pacific Northwest landed Karla in Portland, Oregon’s, celebrated jazz scene.

In Portland, Karla began working with players such as Randy Porter (Diane Schuur, Gino Vanelli, Madelaine Eastman), Bobby Torres (Joe Cocker, Etta James, Tom Jones), Steve Christofferson (Nancy King), Todd Strait (Kevin Mahogany, Eldar, Karrin Allyson), Mark Simon (Leroy Vinnegar), Mike Horsfall (Chuck Redd, Pink Martini, Rebecca Kilgore), and more in that nurturing environment. She became a regularly featured artist at premier jazz rooms and performed at events such as the Oregon Coast Jazz Party, Cathedral Park Jazz Festival, Bite of Oregon Festival, Portland Jazz Festival. Of her live shows, WSIE Radio says Karla is “a powerful singer at ease in any setting, a singer for all seasons who makes any song memorable.” Clubscene writes, “She engages us and makes us happy to be spending the evening with her.” 

Karla released her first CD, “Twice As Nice,” a collaboration with Tom Kennedy, in 2007. Featuring Kennedy’s arrangements, the recording is a collection of standards, including two songs each from favorite songwriters Jimmy McHugh, Cy Coleman, Harold Arlen, Johnny Mandel, Richard Rodgers and Burt Bacharach. Of the project, Jazz Scene Magazine wrote, “Always respectful of her American Songbook choices, Harris has superb intonation and a contemporary, appealing approach to the songs.”

In 2012, Karla relocated to Atlanta. Through her work in Atlanta, Karla met Los Angeles-based pianist, composer, arranger Ted Howe, producer and arranger of her 2015 recording, “Karla Harris Sings the Dave and Iola Brubeck Songbook.” The CD is the first-ever studio recording dedicated exclusively to vocal versions of 11 Dave Brubeck compositions, with lyrics written by his wife of 70 years, Iola Brubeck. It features Karla with Ted Howe, world-renowned bassist Tom Kennedy, jazz Hall-of-Fame drummer Dave Weckl and saxophonist Bob Sheppard. Karla’s versions of Brubeck classics such as “Take Five,” “Far More Blue” and “Trav’lin Blues” are heard on jazz radio internationally. The project, released on Summit Records, received multiple reviews praising its conceptual approach and execution. Jazz da Gama calls it "a work of sheer elegance and distinction," and Jazziz Magazine wrote, "The Brubecks would have been pleased."

Karla's latest album, released in early 2019, introduces the singer as songwriter. The project, "Certain Elements," reached #44 on the prestigious Jazz Week chart. It includes a suite of original tunes alongside covers of songs written by Michel Legrand, Marilyn and Alan Bergman, Bill Withers, Jim Hall, Terry Kirkman and others, arranged especially for Karla by some of her closest colleagues.

Featuring a sparkling roster of musicians, “Certain Elements” brings together Karla’s diverse musical past. The project, like the artist herself, is a blend of backgrounds, and joins contemporary jazz, Latin, swing, and blues influences. The album's first single, a remake of the '60s hit "Cherish," is heard on contemporary jazz stations across the globe. Legendary smooth jazz artist Dave Koz featured the song on his syndicated SiriusXM radio show. O's Place Jazz writes: "Karla Harris is a jazz vocalist with exceptional talent that surfaces like a beautiful ballet dancer on 'Certain Elements.'"

In 2020, two of Karla's original compositions -- the swinging "When Michael" and the bluesy ballad "Interlude" -- achieved semi-finalist status in the annual ISO (International Songwriting Competition). 

Karla continues to perform regionally and nationally at top jazz venues and festivals, as well as for a variety of performing arts series and arts outreach events. In addition to performing, writing and recording, she is an artist-in-residence with the dynamic Jazz Studies department at Kennesaw State University, teaching Applied Vocal Jazz to aspiring singers.