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LP
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FOX 016LP
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Alternative Fox present a reissue of Eddie Harris's Bossa Nova, originally released in 1963. Tenor saxophonist Eddie Harris is best-known for his composition "Freedom Jazz Dance", which Miles Davis brought to prominence in 1966, and for being a pioneer of the electric saxophone, yet his career is long, distinguished and varied. Born in Chicago in 1934 to a Cuban father and a mother from New Orleans, Harris studied in his youth under the influential music teacher/violinist Walter Dyett at DuSable High School and then at Roosevelt University, where he played piano and vibraphone, as well as tenor sax, appearing with tenor sax giant Gene Ammons before graduation. Following a stint in Europe in the US Army, where he played in the 7th Army Band, Harris worked in New York for a time and then signed to Vee Jay upon returning to Chicago in 1961; debut album, Exodus To Jazz, was named for his jazz adaptation of the theme from the movie Exodus, a chart-topping smash which became the first jazz song to win a gold disc. There were further jazz/film soundtrack explorations for Vee Jay and some concept albums too, with Bossa Nova being the most noteworthy of the bunch. The Brazilian form had been gaining favor in the US thanks to "Girl From Ipanema", yet Harris's LP was not a tokenistic stab at faddism; instead, Harris uses the form as a launchpad for his own sterling solos, heard most enticingly on "Cev Y Mar" and on the dreamy opener "Mima", inspired by his young daughter, Lolita Marie. The stellar backing is part of the picture too, the hand-picked musicians led by esteemed pianist Lalo Schriffin (then still making a name for himself), with Coltrane/Monk bassist Art Davis, Dizzy Gillespie drummer Chuck Lampkin, and veteran guitarist Jimmy Raney allowing Harris all the space he needs, yet never playing mere filler behind him.
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LP
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GET 52730LP
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"Saxophonist Eddie Harris -- a favorite sample staple of jazz-leaning hip-hop producers of the '90s -- was a very busy man in the 1960s, releasing albums at a brisk pace since his first as a leader in 1961. By the late '60s he had fully hit his stride, as both a performer and an innovator. A case in point is heard very clearly on this gem from Harris' expansive catalog -- 1968's Plug Me In, which features his pioneering use of the Varitone saxophone effects processor unit (first heard on his 1967 album, The Tender Storm). The effect, used on 'It's Crazy' and 'Ballad (For My Love),' never gets in the way, but gives the proceedings a feeling of 'the next.' 1968 saw jazz entering a new era, influenced by electronic advances as well as the soul music dominating the pop charts of the day. Plug Me In slid perfectly into the vanguard of the day. There is a soulful warmth to the proceedings on this classic LP, starting with album opener 'Live Right Now,' which builds and swirls to a beautiful crescendo, with notes ricocheting back and forth amongst a top level crew of players including Jodie Christian, Chuck Rainey and Richard Smith. 'Lovely Is Today' and 'It's Crazy' also feature waves of sunshine-y brass and group interplay, alongside album ballads like 'Winter Meeting' and 'Ballad (For My Love).' Eddie Harris' catalog can be daunting, considering his impressive input throughout the 60s and 70s, but there's a reason fans old and new come back to Plug Me In again and again. Innovation and soul is a combination that never fails, and this reissue is destined to bring more fans into the fold."
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CD
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HH 3078CD
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Eddie Harris, live from Queens Hotel and Casino, Las Vegas on February 4th, 1985. Tenor saxophonist Eddie Harris had one of the most unusual careers of any jazz star, with an unpredictable eclecticism that was impossible to categorize. Performed at Queens Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas on February 4th, 1985, the second set captured here was broadcast on National Public Radio the following year. These performances range from spirituals to standards, and scats to sax solos. Also in the quartet Harris heads here is drummer Albert "Tootie" Heath, guitarist Ronald Muldrow, and bassist Louis Spears. The entire National Public Radio Broadcast is presented here, digitally remastered.
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