Eddie Harris (October 20, 1934 – November 5, 1996) was an American

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a m ...

musician, best known for playing

tenor saxophone The tenor saxophone is a medium-sized member of the saxophone family, a group of instruments invented by Adolphe Sax in the 1840s. The tenor and the alto are the two most commonly used saxophones. The tenor is pitched in the key of B (while ...

and for introducing the electrically amplified saxophone. He was also fluent on the

electric piano An electric piano is a musical instrument which produces sounds when a performer presses the keys of a piano-style musical keyboard. Pressing keys causes mechanical hammers to strike metal strings, metal reeds or wire tines, leading to vibrations ...

and organ. His best-known compositions are "Freedom Jazz Dance", popularized by

Miles Davis Miles Dewey Davis III (May 26, 1926September 28, 1991) was an American trumpeter, bandleader, and composer. He is among the most influential and acclaimed figures in the history of jazz and 20th-century music. Davis adopted a variety of music ...

in 1966, and "Listen Here".

Biography

Harris was born and grew up in

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = List of sovereign states, Count ...

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolitan areas include, Peoria and Rock ...

, United States. His father was from

Cuba Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribb ...

and his mother from Mississippi. He studied music under Walter Dyett at DuSable High School, as had many other successful Chicago musicians (such as

Nat King Cole Nathaniel Adams Coles (March 17, 1919 – February 15, 1965), known professionally as Nat King Cole, was an American singer, jazz pianist, and actor. Cole's music career began after he dropped out of school at the age of 15, and continued f ...

Clifford Jordan Clifford Laconia Jordan (September 2, 1931 – March 27, 1993) was an American jazz tenor saxophone player. While in Chicago, he performed with Max Roach, Sonny Stitt, and some rhythm and blues groups. He moved to New York City in 1957, after ...

, Johnny Griffin,

Gene Ammons Eugene "Jug" Ammons (April 14, 1925 – August 6, 1974), also known as "The Boss", was an American jazz tenor saxophonist. The son of boogie-woogie pianist Albert Ammons, Gene Ammons is remembered for his accessible music, steeped in soul and ...

, Julian Priester, and others). He later studied music at

Roosevelt University Roosevelt University is a private university with campuses in Chicago and Schaumburg, Illinois. Founded in 1945, the university was named in honor of United States President Franklin Delano Roosevelt and First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt. The unive ...

, by which time he was proficient on piano,

vibraphone The vibraphone is a percussion instrument in the metallophone family. It consists of tuned metal bars and is typically played by using mallets to strike the bars. A person who plays the vibraphone is called a ''vibraphonist,'' ''vibraharpist ...

, and tenor saxophone. While in college, he performed professionally with

. After college, Harris was drafted into the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, ...

and while serving in Europe, he was accepted into the 7th Army Band, which also included

Don Ellis Donald Johnson Ellis (July 25, 1934 – December 17, 1978) was an American jazz trumpeter, drummer, composer, and bandleader. He is best known for his extensive musical experimentation, particularly in the area of time signatures. Later in his li ...

, Leo Wright, and

Cedar Walton Cedar Anthony Walton Jr. (January 17, 1934 – August 19, 2013) was an American hard bop jazz pianist. He came to prominence as a member of drummer Art Blakey's band, The Jazz Messengers, before establishing a long career as a bandleader and co ...

. Leaving military service, Harris worked in New York City before returning to Chicago, where he signed a contract with

Vee Jay Records Vee-Jay Records is an American record label founded in the 1950s, located in Chicago and specializing in blues, jazz, rhythm and blues and rock and roll. The label was founded in Gary, Indiana in 1953 by Vivian Carter and James C. Brack ...

. His first album for Vee Jay, ''

Exodus to Jazz ''Exodus to Jazz'' is the debut album by American jazz saxophonist Eddie Harris recorded in 1961 and released on the Vee-Jay label.Callahan, M. & Edwards, DVee-Jay Album Discography, Part 3: Jazz Series (1959-1978)accessed May 7, 2012

'', included his own jazz arrangement of Ernest Gold's theme from the movie ''

Exodus Exodus or the Exodus may refer to: Religion * Book of Exodus, second book of the Hebrew Torah and the Christian Bible * The Exodus, the biblical story of the migration of the ancient Israelites from Egypt into Canaan Historical events * E ...

''. A shortened version of this track, which featured his masterful playing in the upper register of the tenor saxophone, was heavily played on radio and became the first jazz record ever to be certified gold. The single, "Exodus", climbed into the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and reached No. 16 in the U.S. R&B

chart A chart (sometimes known as a graph) is a graphical representation for data visualization, in which "the data is represented by symbols, such as bars in a bar chart, lines in a line chart, or slices in a pie chart". A chart can represent ...

. He moved to

Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the North American division of Japanese conglomerate Sony. It was founded on January 15, 1889, evolving from the A ...

in 1964 and then to

Atlantic Records Atlantic Recording Corporation (simply known as Atlantic Records) is an American record label founded in October 1947 by Ahmet Ertegun and Herb Abramson. Over its first 20 years of operation, Atlantic earned a reputation as one of the most im ...

the following year where he re-established himself. In 1965, Atlantic released '' The In Sound'', a bop album that won back many of his detractors. Over the next few years, he began to perform on

and the electric

Varitone The Varitone was a woodwind pickup and effects unit, allowing direct amplification of the instrument (i.e. without a standard microphone) and the introduction of various electronic effects. It was marketed in 1967 by the Selmer Company, which dev ...

saxophone, and to perform a mixture of jazz and

funk Funk is a music genre that originated in African American communities in the mid-1960s when musicians created a rhythmic, danceable new form of music through a mixture of various music genres that were popular among African Americans in the mi ...

that sold well in both the jazz and

rhythm and blues Rhythm and blues, frequently abbreviated as R&B or R'n'B, is a genre of popular music that originated in African-American communities in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly ...

markets. In 1967, his album ''

The Electrifying Eddie Harris ''The Electrifying Eddie Harris'' is an album by American jazz saxophonist Eddie Harris recorded in 1967 and released on the Atlantic label.

'' reached second place on the R&B chart. The album's lead track, "Listen Here", was issued as a single, climbing to No. 11 R&B and No. 45 on the Hot 100. Harris released several different versions of his composition over the years, including both studio and live concert recordings. The first appeared on an early Atlantic album, ''Mean Greens'', featuring him on electric piano. He was to re-work the track two years later, stretching it out to over seven minutes in length, for his iconic sax solo version. The whole track appeared on both sides of the Atlantic hit single, edited into two parts. For the 11th Annual Grammy Awards in 1968, Eddie was nominated for the Best Instrumental Jazz Performance for Small Group or Soloist with Small Group for the Album – ''

The Electrifying Eddie Harris ''The Electrifying Eddie Harris'' is an album by American jazz saxophonist Eddie Harris recorded in 1967 and released on the Atlantic label.

''. In 1969, he performed with pianist and vocalist

Les McCann Leslie Coleman McCann (born September 23, 1935) is an American jazz pianist and vocalist.Feather, Leonard, and Ira Gitler (2007), ''The Biographical Encyclopedia of Jazz'', p. 448. Oxford University Press. Early life Les McCann was born in ...

at the

Montreux Jazz Festival The Montreux Jazz Festival (formerly Festival de Jazz Montreux and Festival International de Jazz Montreux) is a music festival in Switzerland, held annually in early July in Montreux on the Lake Geneva shoreline. It is the second-largest annual ...

. Although the musicians had been unable to rehearse, their session was so impressive that a recording of it was released by Atlantic as '' Swiss Movement''. This became one of the best-selling jazz albums ever and was nominated during the 13th Annual Grammy Awards (1970) for the Best Jazz Performance – Small Group or Soloist with Small Group. Harris also came up with the idea of the reed trumpet, playing one for the first time at the 1970

Newport Jazz Festival The Newport Jazz Festival is an annual American multi-day jazz music festival held every summer in Newport, Rhode Island. Elaine Lorillard established the festival in 1954, and she and husband Louis Lorillard financed it for many years. They hir ...

. He moved from Chicago to Los Angeles in the 1970s. From 1970 to 1975, he experimented with new instruments of his own invention (the reed trumpet was a trumpet with a saxophone mouthpiece, the was a saxophone with a trombone mouthpiece, and the guitorgan was a combination of guitar and organ), with singing the

blues Blues is a music genre and musical form which originated in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues incorporated spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts, chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads from the ...

, with

jazz-rock Jazz fusion (also known as fusion and progressive jazz) is a music genre that developed in the late 1960s when musicians combined jazz harmony and improvisation with rock music, funk, and rhythm and blues. Electric guitars, amplifiers, and keyb ...

(he recorded an album with

Steve Winwood Stephen Lawrence Winwood (born 12 May 1948) is an English musician, singer, and songwriter whose genres include blue-eyed soul, rhythm and blues, blues rock, and pop rock. Though primarily a keyboard player and vocalist prominent for his disti ...

Jeff Beck Geoffrey Arnold Beck (born 24 June 1944) is an English rock guitarist. He rose to prominence with the Yardbirds and after fronted the Jeff Beck Group and Beck, Bogert & Appice. In 1975, he switched to a mainly instrumental style, with a fo ...

Albert Lee Albert William Lee (born 21 December 1943) is an English guitarist known for his fingerstyle and hybrid picking technique. Lee has worked, both in the studio and on tour, with many famous musicians from a wide range of genres. He has also mai ...

, Ric Grech,

Zoot Money George Bruno Money (born 17 July 1942) is an English vocalist, keyboardist and bandleader. He is best known for his playing of the Hammond organ and association with his Big Roll Band. Inspired by Jerry Lee Lewis and Ray Charles, he was draw ...

Ian Paice Ian Anderson Paice (born 29 June 1948) is an English musician, best known as the drummer and last remaining original member of the rock band Deep Purple. He is often cited as one of the greatest drummers of all-time. He remains the only membe ...

and other rockers). He also started singing comic R&B/blues songs, such as "That is Why You're Overweight" and "Eddie Who?". In 1975, however, he alienated some of his audience with his album '' The Reason Why I'm Talking S--t'', which consisted mainly of comedy. After recording for Atlantic for over 12 years, Harris left the record company after completing his final album for the label in 1977. He then signed with RCA Records and recorded two albums. Harris died of congestive heart failure in Los Angeles on November 5, 1996, at the age of 62.

Discography

As leader

*1961: ''

'' ( Vee-Jay) *1961: '' Mighty Like a Rose'' (Vee-Jay) *1961: ''

Jazz for "Breakfast at Tiffany's" ''Jazz for "Breakfast at Tiffany's"'' is the third album by American jazz saxophonist Eddie Harris recorded in 1961, featuring a jazz interpretation of Henry Mancini's score for '' Breakfast at Tiffany's'', and released on the Vee-Jay label.Calla ...

'' (Vee-Jay) *1962: ''

A Study in Jazz ''A Study in Jazz'' is the fourth album by American jazz saxophonist Eddie Harris, and the first to feature his compositions predominantly, recorded in 1962 and released on the Vee-Jay label.Callahan, M. & Edwards, DVee-Jay Album Discography, Part ...

'' (Vee-Jay) *1962: '' Eddie Harris Goes to the Movies'' (Vee-Jay) *1963: ''

Bossa Nova Bossa nova () is a style of samba developed in the late 1950s and early 1960s in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It is mainly characterized by a "different beat" that altered the harmonies with the introduction of unconventional chords and an innovat ...

'' (Vee-Jay) *1963: ''Half and Half'' (Vee-Jay) *1964: ''

For Bird and Bags ''For Bird and Bags'' is an album by American jazz saxophonist Eddie Harris recorded for the Vee-Jay label but released on Exodus when Vee-Jay was struggling financially.Callahan, M. and Edwards, DExodus album discographyaccessed May 16, 2012

'' (

) also released as ''Sculpture'' ( Buddah) *1964: '' Cool Sax, Warm Heart'' (

Columbia Columbia may refer to: * Columbia (personification), the historical female national personification of the United States, and a poetic name for America Places North America Natural features * Columbia Plateau, a geologic and geographic region i ...

) *1964: '' Here Comes the Judge'' (Columbia) *1965: '' Cool Sax from Hollywood to Broadway'' (Columbia) *1965: '' The In Sound'' (

Atlantic The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe ...

) *1966: ''

Mean Greens ''Mean Greens'' is an album by American jazz saxophonist Eddie Harris recorded in 1966 and released on the Atlantic label.

'' (Atlantic) *1967: '' The Tender Storm'' (Atlantic) *1968: ''

The Electrifying Eddie Harris ''The Electrifying Eddie Harris'' is an album by American jazz saxophonist Eddie Harris recorded in 1967 and released on the Atlantic label.

'' (Atlantic) *1968: ''

Plug Me In Plug, PLUG, plugs, or plugged may refer to: * Plug (accounting), an unsupported adjustment to an accounting record * Plug (fishing), a family of fishing lures * Plug (horticulture), a planting technique * Plug (jewellery), a type of jewellery ...

'' (Atlantic) *1968: '' Pourquoi L'Amérique'' (Disc'Az) soundtrack *1968: ''

Silver Cycles ''Silver Cycles'' is an album by American jazz saxophonist Eddie Harris recorded in 1968 and released on the Atlantic label.

'' (Atlantic) *1969: ''

High Voltage High voltage electricity refers to electrical potential large enough to cause injury or damage. In certain industries, ''high voltage'' refers to voltage above a certain threshold. Equipment and conductors that carry high voltage warrant sp ...

'' ive(Atlantic) *1969: '' Swiss Movement'' (Atlantic) with

*1969: ''Sculpture'' ( Buddah) previously released as ''

'' (

) *1969: ''

Free Speech Freedom of speech is a principle that supports the freedom of an individual or a community to articulate their opinions and ideas without fear of retaliation, censorship, or legal sanction. The right to freedom of expression has been recog ...

'' (Atlantic) *1970: '' Come on Down!'' (Atlantic) *1970: '' Live at Newport'' (Atlantic) *1970: '' Smokin''' (

Janus In ancient Roman religion and myth, Janus ( ; la, Ianvs ) is the god of beginnings, gates, transitions, time, duality, doorways, passages, frames, and endings. He is usually depicted as having two faces. The month of January is named for Jan ...

) *1971: '' Second Movement'' (Atlantic) with Les McCann *1971: '' Instant Death'' (Atlantic) *1972: '' Eddie Harris Sings the Blues'' (Atlantic) *1973: ''

Excursions An excursion is a trip by a group of people, usually made for leisure, education, or physical purposes. It is often an adjunct to a longer journey or visit to a place, sometimes for other (typically work-related) purposes. Public transportati ...

'' (Atlantic) *1974: ''

E.H. in the U.K. ''E.H. in the U.K.'' is an album by American jazz saxophonist Eddie Harris recorded in England with prominent British rock musicians in 1973 and released on the Atlantic label.

'' (Atlantic) *1974: ''

Is It In ''Is It In'' is an album by American jazz saxophonist Eddie Harris recorded in 1973 and released on the Atlantic label.

'' (Atlantic) *1974: '' I Need Some Money'' (Atlantic) *1975: '' Bad Luck Is All I Have'' (Atlantic) *1975: '' That Is Why You're Overweight'' (Atlantic) *1975: '' The Reason Why I'm Talking S--t'' (Atlantic) *1976: ''

How Can You Live Like That? ''How Can You Live Like That?'' is an album by American jazz saxophonist Eddie Harris recorded in 1976 and released on the Atlantic label.

'' (Atlantic) *1978: '' I'm Tired of Driving'' (

RCA The RCA Corporation was a major American electronics company, which was founded as the Radio Corporation of America in 1919. It was initially a patent trust owned by General Electric (GE), Westinghouse, AT&T Corporation and United Fruit Comp ...

) *1979: '' Playin' with Myself'' (RCA) *1980: ''

Sounds Incredible ''Sounds Incredible'' is an album by saxophonist Eddie Harris recorded in 1980 and originally released on the short-lived Angelaco label.Steps Up ''Steps Up'' is an album by saxophonist Eddie Harris recorded in 1981 and released on the Danish label, SteepleChase.Eddi ...

'' (

SteepleChase Steeplechase may refer to: * Steeplechase (horse racing), a type of horse race in which participants are required to jump over obstacles * Steeplechase (athletics), an event in athletics that derives its name from the steeplechase in horse racing ...

) *1982: ''

The Real Electrifying Eddie Harris ''The Real Electrifying Eddie Harris'' is an album by saxophonist Eddie Harris recorded in 1982 and originally released on the Mutt & Jeff label before being reissued on CD on Ubiquity Records in 1999.Chiaroscuro Chiaroscuro ( , ; ), in art, is the use of strong contrasts between light and dark, usually bold contrasts affecting a whole composition. It is also a technical term used by artists and art historians for the use of contrasts of light to achi ...

) *1986: ''Eddie Who?'' (

Timeless Timeless (or atemporal) or timelessness (or atemporality) may refer to: * Agelessness, the condition of being unaffected by the passage of time * Akal (Sikh term), timelessness in Sikhism * Eternity, timeless existence or infinite duration * Im ...

) *1987: ''People Get Funny'' (Timeless) *1989: ''Live in Berlin'' (Timeless) *1990: ''Live at the Moonwalker'' (Moonwalker Label) *1991: ''A Tale of Two Cities'' ive(Night/

Virgin Virginity is the state of a person who has never engaged in sexual intercourse. The term ''virgin'' originally only referred to sexually inexperienced women, but has evolved to encompass a range of definitions, as found in traditional, modern ...

) recorded 1978 and 1983 *1991: ''There Was a Time – Echo of Harlem'' ( Enja) *1993: ''For You, For Me, For Evermore'' (

) *1993: ''Yeah You Right'' (Lakeside) *1993: ''Listen Here'' (Enja) *1993: ''Artist's Choice: The Eddie Harris Anthology'' ( Rhino) 2-CD *1994: ''Freedom Jazz Dance'' (Musicmasters/BMG) *1994: ''Vexatious Progressions'' (Flying Heart) *1994: ''The Battle of the Tenors'' (Enja) with Wendell Harrison *1995: ''Dancing by a Rainbow'' (Enja) *1996: ''All The Way Live'' (

Milestone A milestone is a numbered marker placed on a route such as a road, railway line, canal or boundary. They can indicate the distance to towns, cities, and other places or landmarks; or they can give their position on the route relative to so ...

) with Jimmy Smith; recorded 1981 *1997: ''The Last Concert'' (ACT) *2005: ''Exodus: The Best of the Vee-Jay Years'' ( Charly) *2017: ''Live: Las Vegas 1985'' (Hi-Hat)

As sideman

With

Buddy Montgomery Charles "Buddy" Montgomery (January 30, 1930 – May 14, 2009) was an American jazz vibraphonist and pianist. He was the younger brother of Wes and Monk Montgomery, a guitarist and bassist respectively. Buddy and brother Monk formed The Masters ...

*'' Ties of Love'' (Landmark, 1987) With

Bernard Purdie Bernard Lee "Pretty" Purdie (born June 11, 1939) is an American drummer, and an influential R&B, soul and funk musician. He is known for his precise musical time keeping and his signature use of triplets against a half-time backbeat: the "Purdie ...

*''Bernard Purdie's Soul to Jazz'' (ACT, 1996) With

*''

Beyond Mobius ''Beyond Mobius'' is an album by pianist Cedar Walton recorded in 1976 and released on the RCA Records, RCA label."Cedar Walton Catalog"
JazzDisco.org. With Ellis Marsalis, Jr. *''Homecoming'' (Spindletop, 1985)Nastos, Michael G.
"Homecoming"
AllMusic review. With

Horace Parlan Horace Parlan (January 19, 1931 – February 23, 2017) was an American pianist and composer known for working in the hard bop and post-bop styles of jazz. In addition to his work as a bandleader Parlan was known for his contributions to the Cha ...

*''

Glad I Found You ''Glad I Found You'' is an album by American jazz pianist Horace Parlan featuring performances recorded in 1984 and released on the Danish-based SteepleChase label.

'' (Steeplechase, 1986) With

Horace Silver Horace Ward Martin Tavares Silver (September 2, 1928 – June 18, 2014) was an American jazz pianist, composer, and arranger, particularly in the hard bop style that he helped pioneer in the 1950s. After playing tenor saxophone and piano at sc ...

*'' Spiritualizing the Senses'' (Silveto, 1983) *''

There's No Need to Struggle ''There's No Need to Struggle'' is an album by jazz pianist Horace Silver, his third released on the Silverto label, featuring performances by Silver with Eddie Harris, Bobby Shew, Ralph Moore, Bob Maize, and Carl Burnett with vocals by Weave ...

'' (Silveto, 1983) With

John Scofield John Scofield (born December 26, 1951), sometimes referred to as "Sco", is an American guitarist and composer whose music over a long career has blended jazz, jazz fusion, funk, blues, soul and rock. He first came to mainstream attention in th ...

*'' Hand Jive'' (

Blue Note In jazz and blues, a blue note is a note that—for expressive purposes—is sung or played at a slightly different pitch from standard. Typically the alteration is between a quartertone and a semitone, but this varies depending on the musical c ...

, 1994)

References

External links

*
Eddie Harris Illustrated Discography
{{DEFAULTSORT:Harris, Eddie 1934 births 1996 deaths 20th-century American musicians 20th-century American male musicians 20th-century saxophonists ACT Music artists African-American jazz musicians American jazz tenor saxophonists American male jazz musicians American male saxophonists Atlantic Records artists Deaths from bone cancer Deaths from cancer in California Enja Records artists Hard bop saxophonists Jazz fusion saxophonists Jazz musicians from Illinois Jazz-funk saxophonists Mainstream jazz saxophonists Musicians from Chicago Roosevelt University alumni Soul-jazz saxophonists SteepleChase Records artists Timeless Records artists Ubiquity Records artists United States Army Band musicians Vee-Jay Records artists