Donald's Encyclopedia of Popular Music

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

HARRIS, Eddie

(b 20 Dec. '36, Chicago; d 5 Nov. '96, LA) Tenor sax; also keyboards, singer, composer. Obits gave his age as 62. Played vibes in high school, then reeds and piano; began recording on Vee-Jay; had top 40 hit '61 with theme from film Exodus; Vee-Jay LPs incl. Exodus To Jazz and Breakfast At Tiffany's '61; more Vee-Jay work through '63, then to Columbia for LPs with orchestra '64, quartets with Cedar Walton, Kenny Burrell, Ron Carter etc '64--5 (playing lots of film themes); then several Atlantic LPs. In The Sound '66 incl. his most succesful tune, 'Freedom Jazz Dance', arranged by Gil Evans that year for a big band, recorded by the Miles Davis quintet '66, Miroslav Vitous '69, etc. His best-known album was Swiss Movement '69 by the co-led Les McCann and Eddie Harris Quintet live at Montreux (Gene McDaniels's 'Compared To What?' heard in soundtrack to Scorsese's Casino '96; see McCann's entry). Others incl. The Electrifying Eddie Harris '67, Live At Newport and Free Speech '70, Come On Down! '71; Eddie Harris In The UK '72 with Zoot Money, Stevie Winwood, Jeff Beck, Rick Grech, Albert Lee etc (Harris played sax, electric trumpet, piano and sang through his horn); Instant Death '72 with Richard Abrams and guitarist Ronald Muldrow; Bad Luck Is All I Have '74, with Muldrow playing guitorgan, a cross between a guitar and a Hammond organ. By this time Harris used electronics incl. a Varitone attachment to his tenor which allowed him to play octaves with himself; he experimented with reed mouthpieces on trumpets and vice versa; the music remained rock/pop-oriented with a jazz flavour. That Is Why You're Overweight '75 had large groups and back-up singers; The Versatile Eddie Harris '77 had smaller groups; Playing With Myself '79 was a solo on RCA with Harris playing several instruments. He gave up funk and electronics after others had taken them up; more albums were quartet sets Exploration '80 on Chiaroscuro and Sounds Incredible on Angelaco '80; Steps Up '81 on Steeplechase with Tete Montoliu; All The Way Live '81 on Mainstream with organist Jimmy Smith and Kenny Dixon on drums; Eddie Who? '86, People Get Funny '87 and Live In Berlin '88 on Timeless; more CDs and reissues on Enja, Lakeside, Steeplechase. Artist's Choice '93 was a two-CD selection of the Atlantic tracks. Last studio session was a good one: Freedom Jazz Dance '94 on Music Masters with Jacky Terrasson, George Mraz, Billy Hart.