Tom Harrell in Paris
April 29th, 2008Found a cool video of jazz trumpeter Tom Harrell and his quintet, live in Paris, France. Very cool! Love the groove, the vibe and solos.
Tom Harrell usually stands back, away from the microphone with his head down in silence, motionless, when not playing the trumpet at that moment. He suffers from paranoid schizophrenia:
Tom Harrell (born June 16, 1946) is a renowned American post bop jazz trumpeter and composer. However he has a disability which profoundly affects his life away from the stage. He suffers from paranoid schizophrenia. On stage he stands away from the microphone, off to the side, his head bowed and his hands clutching his trumpet. When called upon to play, he walks slowly to the microphone, head still lowered, raising it only to play. When finished, he bows his head and resumes his original place.
He takes antipsychotic drugs for his condition, but has to deal with the side-effects such as weight gain and muscle spasms, depending on which drugs he is taking. Newer drugs appear to control his condition with fewer side effects.
April 29th, 2008 at 9:05 am
Wow, that’s really interesting. It’s remarkable that he is able to perform; he must be a strong individual. I wonder what eating raw foods could do for him? I enjoyed watching the video and listening to the music. When I was in college we had a very odd professor who would take some of us into NYC and other places for entertainment…going to some jazz clubs was one of the things we used to do. I love the energy of the music.
Thanks for sharing.
Lots of love to you,
Wendi
XOXOXO
April 29th, 2008 at 11:43 am
Hi Wendi,
Tom Harrell looks much better in this video. I saw him before and when not playing he would really be slumped over in a catatonic state. A fellow musician (and trumpeter) told me he’s probably very well medicated nowadays.
Thanks for watching the video. That’s cool (though i agree it’s odd) that your professor took he class to jazz clubs in NYC. very cool!
xoxo carlos