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 major ...

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 th ...

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 = Country , subdivision_name ...

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

, 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 Caribbea ...

and his mother from Mississippi. He studied music under

Walter Dyett Walter Henri Dyett (also known as Captain Walter Henri Dyett; January 11, 1901 – November 17, 1969) was an American violinist and music educator in the Chicago Public Schools system. He served as music director and assistant music director ...

DuSable High School Jean Baptiste Point DuSable High School is a public four-year high school campus located in the Bronzeville neighborhood on the South Side of Chicago, Illinois, United States. DuSable is owned by the Chicago Public Schools district. The 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 John Arnold Griffin III (April 24, 1928 – July 25, 2008) was an American jazz tenor saxophonist. Nicknamed "the Little Giant" for his short stature and forceful playing, Griffin's career began in the mid-1940s and continued until the month of ...

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 Julian Priester (born June 29, 1935) is an American jazz trombonist and occasional euphoniumist. He is sometimes credited "Julian Priester Pepo Mtoto". He has played with Sun Ra, Max Roach, Duke Ellington, John Coltrane, and Herbie Hancock. B ...

, 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, cla ...

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 lif ...

Leo Wright Leo Wright (December 14, 1933 in Wichita Falls, Texas – January 4, 1991 in Vienna) was an American jazz musician who played alto saxophone, flute and clarinet. He played with Charles Mingus, Booker Ervin, John Hardee, Kenny Burrell, Johnny Co ...

, and Cedar Walton. 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. Bracken, a ...

. 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 * Ex ...

''. 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 tabu ...

. He moved to

Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music, Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the North American division of Japanese Conglomerate (company), conglomerate Sony. It was founded on Janua ...

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 i ...

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 m ...

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'' 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''. In 1969, he performed with pianist and vocalist Les McCann 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 hire ...

. 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 Afr ...

, 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 jazz improvisation, improvisation with rock music, funk, and rhythm and blues. Electric guitars, ...

(he recorded an album with Steve Winwood,

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 focus ...

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 Richard Roman Grechko (1 November 1945 – 17 March 1990), better known as Ric Grech, was a British rock musician. He is best known for playing bass guitar and violin with rock band Family as well as in the supergroups Blind Faith and Traff ...

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 ''The Reason Why I'm Talking S—t'' is an album by American jazz saxophonist Eddie Harris recorded in 1975 and released on the Atlantic label.

'', 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 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. Bracken, a ...

) *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 innovativ ...

'' (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) *1964: '' Here Comes the Judge'' (Columbia) *1965: ''

Cool Sax from Hollywood to Broadway ''Cool Sax from Hollywood to Broadway'' is an album by American jazz saxophonist Eddie Harris recorded in 1964 and released on the Columbia Records, Columbia label.

'' (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 an ...

) *1966: '' Mean Greens'' (Atlantic) *1967: '' The Tender Storm'' (Atlantic) *1968: '' The Electrifying Eddie Harris'' (Atlantic) *1968: '' Plug Me In'' (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 spec ...

'' ive(Atlantic) *1969: '' Swiss Movement'' (Atlantic) with Les McCann *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 rights, right to freedom of expression has been ...

'' (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 Janu ...

) *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 exercise, physical purposes. It is often an adjunct to a longer journey or visit to a place, sometimes for other (typically work-related) purposes. Pu ...

'' (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 Records, Atlantic label.

'' (Atlantic) *1974: '' Is It In'' (Atlantic) *1974: '' I Need Some Money'' (Atlantic) *1975: '' Bad Luck Is All I Have'' (Atlantic) *1975: ''

That Is Why You're Overweight ''That Is Why You're Overweight'' is an album by American jazz saxophonist Eddie Harris recorded in 1975 and released on the Atlantic label.

'' (Atlantic) *1975: ''

The Reason Why I'm Talking S--t ''The Reason Why I'm Talking S—t'' is an album by American jazz saxophonist Eddie Harris recorded in 1975 and released on the Atlantic label.

'' (Atlantic) *1976: '' How Can You Live Like That?'' (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'' (Angelaco) *1981: ''The Versatile Eddie Harris (Featuring Don Ellis)'' (Atlantic) recorded 1977 *1981: '' Steps Up'' (

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'' (Mutt & Jeff) *1983: ''Exploration'' (

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) *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 Enja Records is a German jazz record company and label based in Munich which was founded by jazz enthusiasts Matthias Winckelmann and Horst Weber in 1971. The label's first release was by Mal Waldron, and early releases included European and Ja ...

) *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 A rhinoceros (; ; ), commonly abbreviated to rhino, is a member of any of the five extant species (or numerous extinct species) of odd-toed ungulates in the family Rhinocerotidae. (It can also refer to a member of any of the extinct species o ...

) 2-CD *1994: ''Freedom Jazz Dance'' (Musicmasters/BMG) *1994: ''Vexatious Progressions'' (Flying Heart) *1994: ''The Battle of the Tenors'' (Enja) with

Wendell Harrison Wendell Harrison (born October 1, 1942) is an American jazz clarinetist and tenor saxophonist. Early life and career Wendell Harrison was born in Detroit, Michigan. In Detroit, Harrison began formal jazz studies with pianist Barry Harris. H ...

*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 ''Charly'' (marketed and stylized as ''CHAЯLY'') is a 1968 American drama film directed and produced by Ralph Nelson and written by Stirling Silliphant. It is based on ''Flowers for Algernon'', a science-fiction short story (1958) and subseque ...

) *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 ''Ties of Love'' is an album by the pianist Buddy Montgomery, released by Landmark in 1987. The album, which was Montgomery's first in a decade, was recorded partly in New York with longtime producer Orrin Keepnews. Reception Scott Yanow of All ...

'' (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 Cedar Walton *''

Beyond Mobius ''Beyond Mobius'' is an album by pianist Cedar Walton recorded in 1976 and released on the RCA label.

'' (RCA, 1976)"Cedar Walton Catalog"
JazzDisco.org. With

Ellis Marsalis, Jr. Ellis Louis Marsalis Jr. (November 14, 1934 – April 1, 2020) was an American jazz pianist and educator. Active since the late 1940s, Marsalis came to greater attention in the 1980s and 1990s as the patriarch of the musical Marsalis family, whe ...

*''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 Char ...

*'' Glad I Found You'' (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 sch ...

*'' Spiritualizing the Senses'' (Silveto, 1983) *'' There's No Need to Struggle'' (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 the ...

*''

Hand Jive The hand jive is a dance particularly associated with music of the 1950s, rhythm and blues in particular. It involves a complicated pattern of hand moves and claps at various parts of the body, following and/or imitating the percussion instrumen ...

'' (

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 co ...

, 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