Eddie Harris
Eddie Harris (October 20, 1934 - November 5, 1996), was an American jazz te… Read Full Bio ↴Eddie Harris (October 20, 1934 - November 5, 1996), was an American jazz tenor saxophonist. Although he was one of the most popular jazz musicians of his day (and the first to receive a gold record), his inclusion in his repertoire of types of music other than jazz and his incorporation of comedy into his act led many jazz critics to consider him insufficiently committed to jazz. His experimentation with other types of music sometimes had questionable results, but many still regard him as one of the great jazz musicians.
His first album for Vee Jay, Exodus to Jazz included his own jazz arrangement of Ernest Gold's theme from the movie Exodus. A shortened version of this track, which featured his masterful playing in the upper register of the tenor saxophone, was heavily played on radio and became the first jazz record ever to be certified gold.
Many jazz critics, however, regarded commercial success as a sign that a jazz artist had sold out, and Harris soon stopped playing "Exodus" in concert. He moved to Columbia Records in 1964 and to Atlantic Records in 1965. At Atlantic in 1965 he released The In Sound, a bop album which won back many of his detractors.
Over the next few years he began to perform on electric piano and the electric Varitone saxophone, and to perform a mixture of jazz and funk which sold well in both the jazz and rhythm and blues markets. In 1967 his album The Electrifying Eddie Harris reached second place on the R & B charts.
In 1969 he performed with Les McCann's group at the Montreux Jazz Festival. Although they had been unable to rehearse, their session was so impressive that a recording of it was released as Swiss Movement, which became one of the best-selling jazz albums ever, also reaching second place on the R & B charts.
From 1970 to 1975 he experimented with new instruments of his own invention (the reed trumpet was a trumpet with a saxophone mouthpiece, the saxobone was a saxophone with a trombone mouthpiece, and the guitorgan was a combination of guitar and organ), with singing the blues, with jazz-rock (he recorded an album with Steve Winwood, Jeff Beck, Albert Lee, Ric Grech, Zoot Money, and other rockers), and with comic R & B numbers such as "That is Why You're Overweight."
In 1975, however, he alienated much of his audience with his album The Reason Why I'm Talkin' Shit, which consisted mainly of stand-up comedy, and public interest in his subsequent albums declined sharply. He continued to record into the 1990s, but his experimentation ended and he mainly recorded hard bop.
His first album for Vee Jay, Exodus to Jazz included his own jazz arrangement of Ernest Gold's theme from the movie Exodus. A shortened version of this track, which featured his masterful playing in the upper register of the tenor saxophone, was heavily played on radio and became the first jazz record ever to be certified gold.
Many jazz critics, however, regarded commercial success as a sign that a jazz artist had sold out, and Harris soon stopped playing "Exodus" in concert. He moved to Columbia Records in 1964 and to Atlantic Records in 1965. At Atlantic in 1965 he released The In Sound, a bop album which won back many of his detractors.
Over the next few years he began to perform on electric piano and the electric Varitone saxophone, and to perform a mixture of jazz and funk which sold well in both the jazz and rhythm and blues markets. In 1967 his album The Electrifying Eddie Harris reached second place on the R & B charts.
In 1969 he performed with Les McCann's group at the Montreux Jazz Festival. Although they had been unable to rehearse, their session was so impressive that a recording of it was released as Swiss Movement, which became one of the best-selling jazz albums ever, also reaching second place on the R & B charts.
From 1970 to 1975 he experimented with new instruments of his own invention (the reed trumpet was a trumpet with a saxophone mouthpiece, the saxobone was a saxophone with a trombone mouthpiece, and the guitorgan was a combination of guitar and organ), with singing the blues, with jazz-rock (he recorded an album with Steve Winwood, Jeff Beck, Albert Lee, Ric Grech, Zoot Money, and other rockers), and with comic R & B numbers such as "That is Why You're Overweight."
In 1975, however, he alienated much of his audience with his album The Reason Why I'm Talkin' Shit, which consisted mainly of stand-up comedy, and public interest in his subsequent albums declined sharply. He continued to record into the 1990s, but his experimentation ended and he mainly recorded hard bop.
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Eddie Harris Lyrics
'S Wonderful Don't mind telling you, in my humble fash That you thrill…
Be My Love Be my love, for no one else can end this…
But Not For Me Old man sunshine listen you Never tell me dreams come true J…
Compared to What I love the lie and lie the love A-Hangin' on, with…
Everything Happens To Me Black cats creep across my path Until I'm almost mad I must…
From Russia With Love From Russia with love, I fly to you Much wiser since…
Get On Up And Dance Don't you hear the music playing? What you think the music…
Green Dolphin Street It seems like a dream, yet I know it happened A…
How Can I Find Some Way to Tell You You think our love is gonna take awhile But just to…
How Can You Live Like That? Big cities are not the place for me People are cramped…
I Don't Want Nobody All the times we spent together Then you disappear just like…
I Ever I Would Leave You If ever I would leave you, it wouldn't be in…
I'm Tired Of Driving I'm tired of driving everywhere I have to go When I'm…
If Ever I Would Leave You If ever I would leave you, it wouldn't be in…
Is It In In you I've found me a friend Who I can trust…
Laura You know the feeling of something half remembered Of somethi…
Love Is What I Find In You In you I've found me a friend Who I can trust…
Moon Glow It must have been moonglow, way up in the blue It…
Moonglow It must have been moonglow, way up in the blue It…
My Funny Valentine Everybody loves somebody sometime Everybody falls in love s…
On Green Dolphin Street It seems like a dream, yet I know it happened A…
People Once a friend is always a friend It's not always true Money…
That Is Why You're Overweight I had three donuts and two cups of coffee But that…
The More I See You Each time I look at you is like the first…
The Shadow of Your Smile The shadow of your smile When you have gone Will color all…
These Foolish Things Oh! Will you never let me be? Oh! Will you never…
What's Wrong With The World Today What's wrong with the world today Other countries never do w…
When a Man Loves a Woman Everybody loves somebody sometime Everybody falls in love so…
Why Do You Hurt Me You stick with me when nobody else is around And you're…
Why Must We Part Baby I need you More than you'll ever know I must…
You Are The One You feel my heart consistently with all the love and…
You Stole My Heart When I first saw you It was the way you looked You…