Eddie Harris facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Eddie Harris
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Harris in 1972
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| Background information | |
| Born | October 20, 1934 Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
| Died | November 5, 1996 (aged 62) Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Genres | Soul jazz |
| Occupation(s) | Musician |
| Instruments | Saxophone, piano |
| Associated acts | Johnny Griffin, Nat King Cole |
Eddie Harris (October 20, 1934 – November 5, 1996) was a talented American jazz musician. He was best known for playing the tenor saxophone. He was also famous for being one of the first to use an electrically amplified saxophone. Eddie Harris could also play the electric piano and organ very well.
Two of his most famous songs are "Freedom Jazz Dance," which became popular thanks to Miles Davis in 1966, and "Listen Here."
Contents
About Eddie Harris
Eddie Harris was born and grew up in Chicago, Illinois, in the United States. His father was from Cuba, and his mother was from Mississippi.
He studied music at DuSable High School under Walter Dyett. Many other famous Chicago musicians, like Nat King Cole and Johnny Griffin, also studied there. Later, Eddie went to Roosevelt University to continue his music studies. By then, he was skilled at playing the piano, vibraphone, and tenor saxophone. While in college, he even performed professionally with another jazz great, Gene Ammons.
After college, Eddie Harris joined the United States Army. He served in Europe and was accepted into the 7th Army Band. This band also included other future jazz stars like Don Ellis and Cedar Walton.
Starting His Music Career
After leaving the military, Harris worked in New York City for a short time. Then he returned to Chicago and signed a contract with Vee Jay Records. His first album with Vee Jay was called Exodus to Jazz. It featured his jazz version of the theme song from the movie Exodus.
A shorter version of this song was played a lot on the radio. It showed off his amazing saxophone playing, especially in the higher notes. This song became the first jazz record ever to sell enough copies to be certified gold!
The song "Exodus" even made it onto the US Billboard Hot 100 chart. It also reached No. 16 on the U.S. R&B music chart.
Moving to New Labels
In 1964, Eddie Harris moved to Columbia Records. The next year, he signed with Atlantic Records, where he became very popular again. In 1965, Atlantic released The In Sound. This was a bebop album that helped him win back fans who preferred his earlier style.
Over the next few years, Eddie started playing the electric piano and a special electric Varitone saxophone. He began mixing jazz with funk music. This new style sold very well in both the jazz and rhythm and blues music scenes.
In 1967, his album The Electrifying Eddie Harris reached second place on the R&B chart. The main song from that album, "Listen Here," became a hit single. It reached No. 11 on the R&B chart and No. 45 on the Hot 100. Eddie Harris released many different versions of "Listen Here" over the years, both in the studio and live. For his album The Electrifying Eddie Harris, he was nominated for a Grammy Award in 1968.
Famous Performances and New Ideas
In 1969, Eddie Harris performed with pianist and singer Les McCann at the Montreux Jazz Festival. Even though they hadn't practiced together, their performance was so good that it was recorded and released as an album called Swiss Movement. This album became one of the best-selling jazz albums ever! It was also nominated for a Grammy Award in 1970.
Eddie Harris was always trying new things. He even invented new instruments! One of these was the "reed trumpet," which was a trumpet with a saxophone mouthpiece. He played it for the first time at the 1970 Newport Jazz Festival.
In the 1970s, he moved from Chicago to Los Angeles. During this time, he continued to experiment. He created instruments like the "saxobone" (a saxophone with a trombone mouthpiece) and the "guitorgan" (a mix of guitar and organ). He also started singing blues songs and exploring jazz-rock music. He even recorded an album with famous rock musicians like Steve Winwood and Jeff Beck. He also sang funny R&B/blues songs, such as "That is Why You're Overweight."
In 1975, he released an album that was mostly comedy. Some of his fans didn't like this change. After recording for Atlantic Records for over 12 years, Eddie Harris left the company in 1977. He then signed with RCA Records and released two more albums.
Eddie Harris passed away in Los Angeles on November 5, 1996, at the age of 62. He died from heart failure.
Discography
As a Band Leader
- 1961: Exodus to Jazz (Vee-Jay)
- 1961: Mighty Like a Rose (Vee-Jay)
- 1961: Jazz for "Breakfast at Tiffany's" (Vee-Jay)
- 1962: A Study in Jazz (Vee-Jay)
- 1962: Eddie Harris Goes to the Movies (Vee-Jay)
- 1963: Bossa Nova (Vee-Jay)
- 1963: Half and Half (Vee-Jay)
- 1964: For Bird and Bags (Exodus) also released as Sculpture (Buddah)
- 1964: Cool Sax, Warm Heart (Columbia)
- 1964: Here Comes the Judge (Columbia)
- 1965: Cool Sax from Hollywood to Broadway (Columbia)
- 1965: The In Sound (Atlantic)
- 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 (Atlantic)
- 1969: High Voltage [live] (Atlantic)
- 1969: Swiss Movement (Atlantic) with Les McCann
- 1969: Sculpture (Buddah) previously released as For Bird and Bags (Exodus)
- 1969: Free Speech (Atlantic)
- 1970: Come on Down! (Atlantic)
- 1970: Live at Newport (Atlantic)
- 1970: Smokin' (Janus)
- 1971: Second Movement (Atlantic) with Les McCann
- 1971: Instant Death (Atlantic)
- 1972: Eddie Harris Sings the Blues (Atlantic)
- 1973: Excursions (Atlantic)
- 1974: E.H. in the U.K. (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 (Atlantic)
- 1975: The Reason Why I'm Talking S--t (Atlantic)
- 1976: How Can You Live Like That? (Atlantic)
- 1978: I'm Tired of Driving (RCA)
- 1979: Playin' with Myself (RCA)
- 1980: Sounds Incredible (Angelaco)
- 1981: The Versatile Eddie Harris (Featuring Don Ellis) (Atlantic) recorded 1977
- 1981: Steps Up (SteepleChase)
- 1982: The Real Electrifying Eddie Harris (Mutt & Jeff)
- 1983: Exploration (Chiaroscuro)
- 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 [live] (Night/Virgin) recorded 1978 and 1983
- 1991: There Was a Time – Echo of Harlem (Enja)
- 1993: For You, For Me, For Evermore (SteepleChase)
- 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) 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 a Guest Musician
Eddie Harris also played on albums by other artists:
- With Buddy Montgomery: Ties of Love (1987)
- With Bernard Purdie: Bernard Purdie's Soul to Jazz (1996)
- With Cedar Walton: Beyond Mobius (1976)
- With Ellis Marsalis, Jr.: Homecoming (1985)
- With Horace Parlan: Glad I Found You (1986)
- With Horace Silver: Spiritualizing the Senses (1983) and There's No Need to Struggle (1983)
- With John Scofield: Hand Jive (1994)
See also
In Spanish: Eddie Harris para niños
