Jo Harman

“I want to make a classic album” so says Johanna Harman, “one that sounds just as good in ten years time” she explains. “I’ve had producers, managers, boyfriends, whoever, all telling me to follow the main chance and they are all well meaning and stuff, but really, I know what kind of record I want to make and I’m just gonna go ahead and make it!”. So, Jo and her band take to the best studios around , to do just that. And based on the live shows, a very interesting record it promises to be with, amongst other things, soul, gospel, country blues and rootsy rock and roll being thrown into the mix. If nothing else, it promises to be a deeply sincere record, which is exactly the way Jo wants it. But first, let’s get acquainted…
Born in London, raised in Devon, Jo pursued her love of classical music – playing bassoon to grade 8 standard in a number of prestigious youth orchestras. After gaining a degree in performing arts, she subsequently travelled the world before coming to Brighton, her current home town, to study at the Brighton Institute of Modern Music.
Jo’s evocative voice, a truly powerfully soulful and bluesy instrument, attracted the attention of the infamous London/Brighton Soul Reality Collective where she was invited to take centre stage with some of the best around, including musicians who have worked with the likes of Massive Attack, Jools Holland, Tom Jones, Iggy Pop, Paul Weller and many, many other A-list greats. Quickly encouraged by these guys to form her own band comprising the best of their number, her fast growing reputation secured prestigious bookings – gigs at the world famous 606 club, a couple of BBC introducing sessions and a guest slot with the legendary Average White Band, included. These early gigs instantly showcased a natural stagecraft and a deeply expressive voice that drew instant, if sometimes unhelpful!, comparisons with any manner of other singers as diverse as Janis Joplin and Dusty Springfield and the classic Memphis performers.
From this fast track apprenticeship, in 2010 Jo teamed up with Grammy winning producer Pete Smith (Sting, Joe Cocker) and Boe Larsen of the noted MillFactory in Denmark, and The Jo Harman Project was born. After a handful of critically acclaimed gigs the project hit the rocks. “I’ll always be grateful to Pete and Boe, it was a fabulous experience and we recorded some great tunes but at the end of the day it was their project, their vision, not mine. I was a hired hand, a very willing hired hand, but at the end of the day I’m an artist and, for better or worse, artists have to speak to their own soul”.
So in 2011 Jo branched out as an independent, originals, artist, not only paying her dues but quickly making an impact, attracting regular bookings from prestigious London venues such as ‘Parliamentary Jazz Venue of the Year’, Hideaway – where she and they recorded their first ever live album – and selling out the Pizza Express Dean Street, venues both otherwise renowned for booking some of the most established and respected artists in the business. This early buzz led to a number of summer festival appearances – Chagstock, North Devon and Meadowlands, included – and being invited, in very short order indeed, to open for the likes of Candi Staton, Marlena Shaw, Incognito, Omar and more. Indeed a mini tour opening for Amercian based soul’funk legends, Average White Band led to Jo being asked to front up as vocalist for AWB saxist, Freddy V’s all star band UK touring band. Major guest spots with UK own groove supergroup, Kokomo, and a session as ‘voice of choice’ for double grammy nominated producer James McMillan’s song co-written by Amy Winehouse, further underlined Jo’s industry credentials as a vocalist of rare distinction.
2012 promises to be no less busy for this maturing singer. With a world class pool of musicians in tow, known as ‘The Company’ (with collective resumes that include the likes of Bob Dylan, Beyonce, Jessie J, Bobby Womack, Tina Turner and more) Jo and Co. will be extending their fledgling touring even further; lots of festivals, small theatres and provincial Arts Centres included. An eagerly anticipated debut studio material remains in the works. ‘I’m in no rush’ concedes Jo. ‘It has to right, it has to be me and it has to be good. I got some more dues to pay and I’m busy paying em… hang on in there, its coming’.