Written by Harris for his breakthrough LP The Electrifying Eddie Harris, this red hot sax jam featured legends King Curtis, David "Fathead" Newman and Ray Barretto.
YES! Eddie Harris!! Of all the jazz I own, I have more Eddie Harris (& Hugh Masekela) records than any other jazz musician. I absolutely love Eddie and his colorful and diverse jazz career that begins with the incredible Hard Bop of 'Exodus To Jazz,' he soars high with the free jazz of 'Electrifying' and 'Silver Cycles' and eventually gets down and funky with a lot of his early to mid-'70s output.
Sadly, he is often a forgotten man in Jazz circles. Despite being one of the great tenor sax players, Jazz purists often dismissed his later work due to his electrified sax in the late '60s and '70s. As you hinted in your piece, he took a turn for the unexpected and became the jazz version of Peter Frampton by creatively singing through his sax. It’s a weird and unforgettable sound, but you have to love and admire him for trying! I also love his singing voice - it's full of emotion. His 1972 album, "Sings The Blues" features both it and his singing through the sax and is a really great, but totally ignored gem in his discography.
You're right, tho, Harris will probably always be forever remembered for that 'Swiss Movement' LP with Les, but if people dive deeper they will be richly rewarded. His albums are also still pretty cheap and easy to find.
YES! Eddie Harris!! Of all the jazz I own, I have more Eddie Harris (& Hugh Masekela) records than any other jazz musician. I absolutely love Eddie and his colorful and diverse jazz career that begins with the incredible Hard Bop of 'Exodus To Jazz,' he soars high with the free jazz of 'Electrifying' and 'Silver Cycles' and eventually gets down and funky with a lot of his early to mid-'70s output.
Sadly, he is often a forgotten man in Jazz circles. Despite being one of the great tenor sax players, Jazz purists often dismissed his later work due to his electrified sax in the late '60s and '70s. As you hinted in your piece, he took a turn for the unexpected and became the jazz version of Peter Frampton by creatively singing through his sax. It’s a weird and unforgettable sound, but you have to love and admire him for trying! I also love his singing voice - it's full of emotion. His 1972 album, "Sings The Blues" features both it and his singing through the sax and is a really great, but totally ignored gem in his discography.
You're right, tho, Harris will probably always be forever remembered for that 'Swiss Movement' LP with Les, but if people dive deeper they will be richly rewarded. His albums are also still pretty cheap and easy to find.