Polly Harrison, San Antonio's Guitar Queen (June 21, 1949 – February 20, 2026)
Polly Harrison with Bucky Pizzarelli , Joseph Oldenhove de Guertechin and Stephane Grappelli , San Antonio TX 1992. Photo courtesy of Benedetto Guitars . Listen to the show With deep sadness, on this week's show (February 28, 2026) we mark the passing of the immensely talented 7-string guitarist Polly Harrison , who died last week on the gig (February 20). Polly was a revered member of the San Antonio jazz community for many years, as a performer (she played with just about everybody) and as a mentor to up-and-comers and newcomers. She and drummer-singer Kyle Keener had a five-decade partnership as the Small World band , gigging everywhere and hosting a virtually unbroken series of yearslong welcoming jam sessions. Her work was multifaceted and genre-spanning; we lean into her bossa nova and Brazilian jazz playing here. For more of Polly's story, read Bett Butler's interview for the San...