Happy birthday, Eddie Harris, born on this day in 1934

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Happy birthday, Eddie Harris, born on this day in 1934.

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Eddie Harris: The Eclectic Innovator

Born on October 20, 1934, in Chicago, Eddie Harris was a saxophonist, composer, and inventor whose career was defined by a relentless and often controversial spirit of experimentation. While he achieved massive popular success early on, he spent the rest of his life exploring the fringes of jazz, funk, and electronic music, making him one of the most eclectic and technically gifted musicians of his era.

Biography: From Classical Prodigy to Jazz Maverick

Harris’s musical journey began not with jazz, but with the piano and clarinet. He studied music at the prestigious DuSable High School under the legendary Captain Walter Dyett, who also taught Nat King Cole, Dinah Washington, and many other jazz greats. After high school, he continued his formal studies at Roosevelt University, where he majored in piano and composition.

His path took a turn when he was drafted into the US Army in the mid-1950s. It was during this time he switched his primary focus to the tenor saxophone. Upon his discharge, he returned to Chicago and began working as a side man. His big break came in 1961 with the release of “Exodus to Jazz,” an album whose rearrangement of Ernest Gold’s film theme, “Exodus,” became a surprise million-selling hit. This made Harris the first jazz artist ever to receive a Gold Record.

Rather than cementing him in the “soul jazz” niche, this success gave Harris the financial freedom to experiment, which he did for the rest of his career. He passed away on November 5, 1996, leaving behind a vast and varied discography that continues to inspire and puzzle listeners.

Musical Style: The Sound of Experimentation

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Eddie Harris was a musical chameleon, impossible to pin down to one style. His core approach was rooted in the soulful, blues-drenched sound of hard bop, but he constantly pushed beyond its boundaries.

• The Electric Saxophone Pioneer: Harris was one of the first, and most successful, musicians to champion the electrification of the saxophone. He used the Varitone saxophone, a instrument with an attached microphone and amplifier that included an octave divider and filters, creating a futuristic, often eerie, doubled sound. He also used a steel reed and later experimented with a brass clarinet and his own invention, the saxobone (a hybrid of saxophone and trombone).
• Funk and Comedy: He eagerly incorporated elements of funk, rock, and R&B into his music, often to the chagrin of jazz purists. He was also known for his vocal, comedic tunes like “That is Why You’re Overweight” and his rendition of “The Shadow of Your Smile,” on which he simultaneously played saxophone and scat-sang in perfect unison.
• Technical Virtuosity: Beneath the experimentation was a player of phenomenal technique. He possessed a flawless command of the saxophone’s upper register (altissimo) and was a master of circular breathing, allowing him to hold notes and play impossibly long, flowing lines.

Harmony and Compositions: Beyond the Blues

Harris was a sophisticated composer and harmonic thinker. While many of his most popular tunes are based on simple, funky vamps, his work reveals a deep understanding of music theory.

• Harmony: His playing often featured advanced chromaticism and bebop-derived lines, even when playing over a simple funk groove. He had a unique ability to weave complex harmonic ideas into accessible, groove-oriented music.
• Compositions: His most famous composition is undoubtedly “Freedom Jazz Dance,” which became a jazz standard after Miles Davis recorded it on his landmark 1966 album Miles Smiles. The tune is revolutionary for its structure: it abandons a traditional chord progression in favor of a series of modular, melodic bass figures over which the soloists have immense freedom. Other essential Harris compositions include the funky “Listen Here,” the soulful ballad “Love for Sale,” and the humorous yet musically complex “Compared to What.”

Cooperations: A Reluctant Side Man

Harris was primarily a bandleader, but his key collaborations were highly influential.

• Les McCann: The partnership with pianist Les McCann was arguably the most successful of his career. Their meeting at the Montreux Jazz Festival in 1969 was captured on the album “Swiss Movement,” which featured a blistering version of “Compared to What.” The album became a massive critical and commercial success, defining the soul-jazz genre for a generation.
• Herbie Hancock: On his 1969 album The Electrifying Eddie Harris, he was joined by a young Herbie Hancock. Their collaboration on tunes like “Funkaroma” showcases a meeting of minds equally interested in the fusion of jazz with contemporary rhythms and electric instruments.
• Gene Ammons and Others: He recorded with the great tenor saxophonist Gene Ammons (The Black Genius) and was part of the Atlantic Records “family,” which allowed him to cross paths with artists like Aretha Franklin and The Rolling Stones, whom he opened for on tour.

Legacy and Influence

Eddie Harris’s legacy is complex. He was often dismissed by critics for his commercial success and unorthodox methods, but time has proven his vision to be prescient.

• A Bridge to Fusion: His early adoption of electronics and rock/funk rhythms made him a direct forerunner to the 1970s jazz-fusion movement. Bands like The Headhunters and musicians like Bennie Maupin owe a debt to his explorations.
• The Sampling Goldmine: His funky, drum-heavy tracks from the late 60s and early 70s have become a treasure trove for hip-hop producers, ensuring his rhythms continue to find new audiences.
• The Independent Spirit: Above all, Eddie Harris represents the spirit of an independent artist who followed his own muse, regardless of trends or critical acclaim. He was a brilliant technician, a gifted composer, and a fearless innovator who expanded the vocabulary of the tenor saxophone and challenged the very definition of jazz.

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Eddie Harris – Listen Here

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