Harlem Blues is a composition by W. C. Handy, the pioneering blues composer and publisher widely known as the Father of the Blues. Although it is one of Handy's lesser-known works compared to landmark pieces like St. Louis Blues and Memphis Blues, it shares his characteristic approach of formalizing folk blues idioms into composed, publishable forms, blending blue notes and syncopated rhythms with structured melody. The piece gained renewed exposure through its inclusion on the soundtrack to Spike Lee's 1990 film Mo' Better Blues, which centers on a fictional jazz trumpeter navigating the New York music scene. On that album, Music from Mo' Better Blues, the track features vocalist Cynda Williams and was produced by Raymond Jones, appearing as the opening selection alongside original compositions by Branford Marsalis and Bill Lee. Handy's blues compositions from the early twentieth century laid essential groundwork for the development of jazz, and their occasional appearance in later jazz and film contexts speaks to the durability of his melodic and harmonic language. On AllSolos, the recording from the Mo' Better Blues soundtrack features a soprano saxophone solo by Branford Marsalis.
