Harris has sung and recorded with some of the best jazz pianists in the world: Cyrus Chestnut, Bill Charlap, Eric Reed, Benny Green, Bruce Barth, and Tommy Flanagan. He has performed at sold-out venues such as Berlin’s Komische Opera House; Israel - a 10 day standing-room-only tour; Finland’s Espoo Jazz Festival; Sweden’s Linkoping Jazz Festival; New Zealand’s Queenstown Jazz Festival; Germany’s Swing IT Concert/TV Series with the New York Voices and James Morrison; Lugano, Switzerland with Jon Faddis and the Big Band de Lausanne singing the lead in Duke Ellington’s Sacred Mass which was recorded live. He has recorded numerous CDs: Setting The Standard, It's a Wonderful World, Here Comes Allan Harris and the Metropole Orchestra, The Music of Duke Ellington, Laid Back, Love Came, he Songs of Strayhorn, "Long Live the King, in honor of Mr. Cole, and Cross That River. Allan’s recordings have featured Ray Brown, Mark Whitfield, Eric Reed, Clark Terry, Claudio Roditi, and Latin Grammy winner, Nestor Torres. Tony Bennett has praised Allan’s technique and integrity and called him “my favorite new singer.” At a Bennett sponsored showcase in New York, Sammy Cahn introduced Harris: "Frank Sinatra says his favorite singer is Tony Bennett, and Tony Bennett says his favorite singer is Allan Harris."
Harris is also a master clinician and teacher and has taught master classes at JAS Aspen Academy working alongside Christian McBride and Loren Schoenberg; Berklee School of Music, The Jazz Vocal Coalition, City College’s Aaron Davis Hall, Lausanne, Switzerland’s Jazz Music School, to name a few. Harris has sat on the Kennedy Center panel to choose the next U.S. Jazz Ambassador and has judged the Thelonious Monk Awards Vocal Competition. Most recent performances include: Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Rose Hall: 2004-Opening for Cassandra Wilson during the inaugural week and debuting a new work by Wynton Marsalis entitled “Suite for Human Nature;” January 21 & 22, 2005 - The Kennedy Center: "Unforgettable, The Songs of Nat 'King' Cole;" and March 11, 2005 - "The Legacy Series" at Aaron Davis Hall, in a double bill with Abbey Lincoln performing the songs of Harlem's great composers. On March 25, 2006 Harris debuted Cross That River at Kennedy Center for Country Music Week. BET Jazz has recorded and aired several Allan Harris concerts with hosts Lou Rawls and Ramsey Lewis. CBS News has conducted 2 interviews with Harris about Cross That River. Will Friedwald, the author of "Jazz Singing" and "Sinatra" calls him "probably the most exciting singer on the scene." CNN's Showbiz Tonight referred to Harris as "one of the three best male jazz vocalists in the country."
Allan Harris's web page is: www.allanharris.com
Mona Lisa
Allan Harris Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You're so like the lady with the mystic smile
Is it only cause you're lonely they have blamed you
For that Mona Lisa strangeness in your smile
Do you smile to tempt a lover Mona Lisa?
Or is this your way to hide a broken heart?
Many dreams have been brought to your doorstep
They just lie there, and they die there
Or just a cold and lonely, lovely work of art.
Do you smile to tempt a lover Mona Lisa?
Or is this your way to hide a broken heart?
Many dreams have been brought to your doorstep
They just lie there, and they die there
Are you warm, are you real Mona Lisa?
Or just a cold and lonely, lovely work of art.
Mona Lisa, Mona Lisa.
The song "Mona Lisa" by Allan Harris is a tribute to the famous painting by Leonardo da Vinci, and an exploration of the enigmatic woman who is its subject. In the opening lines, Harris acknowledges that men have given the painting its name, and compares the Mona Lisa's smile to the mystic smile of a similar lady. He wonders if her loneliness is the cause of the "strangeness" in her smile, and questions whether she smiles to attract a lover or to hide a broken heart.
The repeated chorus of the song further emphasizes the questions and contradictions surrounding the Mona Lisa's identity. Harris wonders if she is warm and real, or if she is just a "lovely work of art" - a beautiful but ultimately empty creation. The Mona Lisa has long been a source of inspiration and fascination for artists and scholars alike, and Harris's lyrics explore the enduring mystery and complexity of a painting that has captivated the world for centuries.
Line by Line Meaning
Mona Lisa, Mona Lisa men have named you
You are a painting that men have given the name Mona Lisa.
You're so like the lady with the mystic smile
Your painting is very similar to the lady with the mysterious smile.
Is it only cause you're lonely they have blamed you
Some attribute your enigmatic smile to your loneliness.
For that Mona Lisa strangeness in your smile
People find the Mona Lisa smile strange and enigmatic.
Do you smile to tempt a lover Mona Lisa?
Are you smiling to attract a lover?
Or is this your way to hide a broken heart?
Or are you concealing a broken heart with your smile?
Many dreams have been brought to your doorstep
Countless people have been inspired by your painting.
They just lie there, and they die there
But these dreams often go unfulfilled and fade away.
Are you warm, are you real Mona Lisa?
Are you a warm and authentic person, Mona Lisa?
Or just a cold and lonely, lovely work of art.
Or are you just a beautiful but cold and lonely painting?
Lyrics © DistroKid, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Ray Evans, Jay Livingston
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind