“Harris Eisenstadt is a Toronto-based drummer and composer who takes a fixer’s approach when it comes to music making. He looks for ways to put the pieces together. He often seems to be intent on finding consonance in dissonance, or turning ungainliness into grace, especially in his own music.” (Nate Chinen – The New York Times). “One of the leading composers of the new generation” (Troy Collins of AllAboutJazz.com), a “strong evidence that jazz is still young, growing, and influential,” (Greg Burk of L.A Weekly), and “one the most skilled and creative musician/composers incorporating old material to create new, vital improvised music.” (Robert Iannapollo of AllAboutJazz.com). Jim Macnie, Village Voice, adds that Eisenstadt is one of the most prolific and versatile musicians his generation. His diverse resume includes studies with some the most respected names of jazz, improvised music and West African and Cuban drummers, as well as performances in a variety of genres, including film, theater, poetry, dance, contemporary classical, opera, and modern classical. He is a jazz and improvised musician who has been a bandleader as well as a sideman. He has performed around the world, received commissions from American Composers Forum and Meet The Composer, and has appeared on over 45 recordings since 1999. Woodblock Prints (No business) was his album and he was also named composer of the Year in the El Intruso international criticisms poll (2010). Recent honors include being nominated for Up and Coming Artists of the Year by the Jazz Journalists Association (2009 Rising Star in Composer category) and seeing his first orchestral piece, “Palimpsest”, premiered by the American Composers Orchestra (2011). Since 2002, his recordings as a leader are regularly included on critics’ top-of lists. He released Canada Day Octet (482 Music) and Canada Day III (Songlines) in 2012. from www.harriseisenstadt.com
