WAS BARRY HARRIS A WESTERN SWINGER? 

Given his love affair with the 6th chord, he could've been both!
The more i dig into the Barry Harris stuff with Chris Parks ‪@OpenStudioJazz‬ the more i hear similarities between early bop-infused dance bands like Jay McShann's and the western swingers like Bob Wills and the Texas Playboys. The liberal use of 6th chords jumps out. Obviously, the great western swing guitar players mostly developed their chops playing bluegrass--which also begat the country virtuoso playing we see later in guitarists like Brent Mason and Marty Stuart et al. But all the cats who played western swing loved what the boppers were doing. For proof, check out Hank Garland, Jimmy Bryant and Joe Maphis just to name a few. Monster, monster chops and they quickly started incorporating the more chromatic bop language into their lines. But let me know what you think!
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