Allan Harris Sings a Nat King Cole Christmas
The Pocket130 West 46th Street, New York 10036
Allan Harris brings his Nat King Cole Christmas program to The Pocket, celebrating Cole’s holiday repertoire and the enduring songs around it. Harris sings and plays guitar, leading a five-piece group with Rick Germanson on piano, Brandi Disterheft on bass, Russell Markey on drums, and Rico Jones on saxophone. The concert is built as a tribute to Cole, the pianist and vocalist whose recordings remain a central part of the season’s songbook, with Harris framing the evening around those classics.
Brooklyn-born and Harlem-based, Harris is a vocalist, guitarist, songwriter, and bandleader known in particular for his Nat King Cole tributes. The New York Times has called him “The heir apparent to Nat King Cole,” while the Miami Herald heard “the warmth of Tony Bennett, the bite and rhythmic sense of Sinatra, and the sly elegance of Nat ‘King’ Cole” in his voice. His work also includes Cross That River, a jazz-inflected musical following Blue, a Black cowboy from the antebellum South to the West. Harris has performed or recorded with the Metropole Orchestra, Berlin Jazz Orchestra, Smithsonian Jazz Orchestra, Moscow Jazz Orchestra, Chicago Jazz Orchestra, and Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra.
The Pocket offers a close-up encounter with world-class jazz musicians in a small, focused setting where every note feels immediate and unfiltered. The room is designed to bring listeners near the performers, creating a direct connection that makes the music feel personal and vivid. Seating is limited and arranged to emphasize attentive listening rather than casual socializing, with a bar available to complement the experience. Shows are ticketed, encouraging an audience that is there to fully engage with the performance. The venue’s location in Manhattan places it within easy reach of the city’s vibrant cultural pulse, making it a perfect spot for an evening dedicated to serious jazz appreciation without distractions.