about
Harry Bartlett is a Canadian guitarist and composer. With a background in jazz and an affinity for Americana music, Harry’s compositions “transcend a single genre” (Textura). Blending an improvisational approach with old time, folk, and western influences, his music is at once recognizably nostalgic and markedly fresh.
Growing up in the Pacific Northwest, Harry moved to Toronto in 2016 to study jazz guitar with Geoff Young at the University of Toronto. While he performs regularly as a band leader and a sideperson across North America, coastal BC continues to inspire much of his work.
Performing his own compositions with his band, Harry has appeared in festivals and venues including The 5 Spot (Nashville), Jazz YYC (Calgary), Music Niagara (Niagara), The Rex Hotel (Toronto), The Brookstreet Hotel (Ottawa), Resonance Café (Montreal), Tangent Cafe (Vancouver), Herman’s Jazz Club (Victoria), and the Lighthouse Bistro (Nanaimo).
In 2021 the Harry Bartlett Trio recorded Wildwood, which “blends Jazz, Folk, and Western music styles into an extraordinarily creative listening experience” (Midwest Book Review). The compositions were written and recorded over a 6 month period on Gambier Island BC. The rugged, isolated character of the BC coast permeate this record lending qualities of reverence and peace. Wildwood was released November 18th 2022
In addition to an active performing career, Harry has toured public schools across Canada leading improvisation workshops. He developed these workshops in 2019 with the aid of the FMUA.
Harry holds a Bachelor of Music degree with honours from the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Music (2016-2020) and attended the School of Improvised Music in Brooklyn, New York (2019). He is the recipient of multiple awards including the Suba Institute Award for Performance Excellence, the Mary Alice Stuart Jazz Scholarship, and the TD Niagara Jazz Festival Jazz for the Ages Award.
Listen
“Harry Bartlett presents Wildwood with intention. Every track serves a purpose, evokes a feeling, or tells a story.”
“Wildwood is an utterly compelling record that deserves repeated listening.”
“Wildwood is rooted in the jazz tradition but its music transcends a single genre. The trio has developed a strong rapport vividly captured on the new edition.”
“Harry Bartlett’s music is imaginative and worth hearing.”
“The Harry Bartlett Trio is an encouraging look into the future of the Canadian jazz scene. Harry is a creative and sophisticated composer already and simply put, plays the guitar at a very high level.”
“Wildwood is an extraordinarily creative and finely detailed listening experience.”
“Bartlett’s style is rooted in American folk and Western music sounds, but it also embraces jazz and improvisation. A fine and engaging set of tunes.”
“Where impressionistic scenes alternate with the necessary unrest.”
“Wildwood is thoughtful, impressionistic, and cinematic.”
“The Harry Bartlett Trio come together for this exciting jazz listen that meshes folk and Western ideas into the improvised landscape. Bartlett and company mesmerize us through a very meticulous record.”
“All the tunes have an atmospheric quality that is enhanced by the trio’s empathic playing. Wildwood is an engaging and beautiful.”