GUITARIST ZACC HARRIS REVISITS AND REFRAMES AMERICAN ROOTS MUSIC ON AMERICAN RECKONING, OUT NOW ON SHIFTING PARADIGM RECORDS
Shifting Paradigm Records announces the release of American Reckoning, the evocative new album from Minneapolis-based guitarist and composer Zacc Harris. A follow-up to his acclaimed 2017 release American Reverie, the recording reunites Harris with bassist Matt Peterson and drummer Lars-Erik Larson, continuing the trio’s exploration of American folk and roots music through a modern jazz lens, now with greater tension, depth, and urgency.
A central figure in the Twin Cities jazz scene for two decades, Harris has built a reputation for articulate guitar work, inventive compositions, and deeply expressive performances. Named City Pages’ Best Twin Cities Jazz Artist in 2017, he is widely known for his work with Atlantis Quartet as well as his own ensembles including the Zacc Harris Group. His recordings have earned praise from outlets including DownBeat, JazzTimes, and JazzWise Magazine, the latter noting his “big-sky generous melodicism” and “imagination extensive.” With American Reverie, Harris first turned his attention to the American songbook beyond jazz standards, offering what All About Jazz called “arrangements full of fresh twists, all played with understated warmth.”
With American Reckoning, Harris returns to that concept with a more probing perspective. “These songs carry a deep sense of nostalgia,” he explains, “but that nostalgia feels conflicted now. There’s a tension between the idyllic and pastoral imagery they conjure and the realities of the time we’re living in.” That tension is reflected throughout the album’s musical language—through reharmonization, shifting meters, and textural contrasts that both honor and challenge the source material.
Rather than presenting these songs as static artifacts, Harris treats them as living forms. “Amazing Grace” is reframed with a darker harmonic palette, while Stephen Foster’s “Hard Times” unfolds with a lilting 12/8 feel. “House of the Rising Sun” appears in 7/4 with an extended vamp. Brian Wilson’s “God Only Knows” becomes a striking centerpiece, its sweet but haunting melody juxtaposed with its jagged harmonic framework. Elsewhere, the trio leans into a raw, rock-informed energy on “Darlin’ Cory,” revealing another dimension of the group’s dynamic range.
The lone original, “Another Folk Song,” blurs the boundary between composition and tradition, presented in a free rubato setting that suggests a melody unearthed rather than written. “I wanted it to feel like something that had always existed,” Harris notes, “like a song you somehow already know.” A second line–inflected version of “You Are My Sunshine” introduces a sense of motion and lift before the album turns inward for its closing statements.
The final two tracks, both drawn from the music of Bob Dylan, form the emotional core of the album. “I Shall Be Released” is framed by meditative group textures built on a drone, giving way to the melody and a cathartic midsection groove. The closing tune was recorded long after the studio dates, during a period of unrest in Minneapolis following immigration enforcement actions in early 2026. The scenes left a deep impression—masked and armed agents confronting civilians in public spaces—and Dylan’s “Masters of War” became lodged in Harris’s mind. He recorded the piece alone on acoustic guitars during the dark winter months, and the performance carries a stark immediacy that underscores the album’s central themes. “There’s a weight to these songs that feels unavoidable,” Harris reflects. “I wanted to sit with that, rather than resolve it.”
Throughout American Reckoning, Harris, Peterson, and Larson demonstrate a deep musical rapport developed over years of collaboration. Their interplay is fluid and responsive, allowing the material to evolve organically while maintaining a clear conceptual focus.
With American Reckoning, Zacc Harris offers a poignant and timely reflection on American identity—one that acknowledges the beauty of its musical past while confronting the complexities of its present.
Tracklisting:
1. Amazing Grace – 5:21
2. Hard Times – 6:39
3. House of the Rising Sun – 4:32
4. God Only Knows – 6:10
5. Darlin’ Cory – 3:25
6. Another Folk Song – 5:28
7. You Are My Sunshine – 4:55
8. I Shall Be Released – 10:22
9. Masters of War – 2:27