#ray codrington

[jazzdailyblog]

Rediscovering "The In Sound:" Eddie Harris and the Birth of a Jazz Standard

Introduction: In the annals of jazz history, certain albums stand out not only for their musical innovation but also for their lasting influence on the genre. One such album is “The In Sound” by tenor saxophonist Eddie Harris, recorded in 1965 and released in 1966 on the Atlantic label. This album, often celebrated as one of Harris’ most significant works, is not just a collection of tracks; it…

Rediscovering "The In Sound:" Eddie Harris and the Birth of a Jazz Standard

[onejazztrackaday]

Freedom Jazz Dance – Eddie Harris

Freedom Jazz Dance has no chord changes, just a straight-ahead funk groove in B flat. Yet it’s hypnotic piano anchor takes you from beginning to end without any sense of boredom*, providing the perfect foundation for the angular melody of fourths to get well and truly stuck in your head.

The tune was popularised and some would say forever owned by Miles Davis when he released it on his album Miles Smiles. And this is where I disagree with a lot of jazz critics, and become a bit of an iconoclast. Davis breaks down the song and puts it back together again, turning it into a high-brow work of art for those forever looking for innovation and new sounds. But in my opinion he does so at the cost of losing the joy and simplicity of the straight-ahead groove. I could (and have) listen to the version on Eddie Harris’s 1965 album The In Sound on repeat for hours, without hesitation or regret. Miles’s version is great, but I have to think too much to enjoy it.

Eddie Harris was a pioneer and innovator in his own way. His recording of the movie theme Exodus on his first album in 1961 was later released as a single and became the first jazz record ever to go Gold. He introduced electrically amplified saxophone and experimented with odd-ball inventions. Like the Dr  Frankenstein of musical instruments, his experiments included the reed trumpet – a trumpet with a saxophone mouthpiece; the saxobone – a saxophone with a trombone mouthpiece; and the guitorgan – a combination of guitar and organ!

Harris recorded continuously from that first album in ‘61 right up to The Last Concert album (with a funky electric groove version of Freedom Jazz Dance) which was released in 1997, the year after he died of congestive heart failure at the age of 62.

– Bozzie 🎷

* I’m not sure Cedar Walton, who had to keep that piano groove going for 9:47, would agree, but he sure does a great job holding the whole thing down.

[mistersenorlovedaddy]

eddie harris “mean greens”

[dustedmagazine]

John Brown Quintet — Quiet Time (Brown Boulevard)

Brown’s bass rests comfortably in a support role for most of the program. A frontline of Brian Miller on saxophones and Ray Codrington doubling on trumpet and flugelhorn divide melodic duties with pianist Gabe Evens (whose surname captures perfectly the equanimity inherent in his playing). The amazingly-named Adonis Rose completes the quintet on drums, hewing primarily to subtle brushwork for much of the duration. His opening mallet work on the Dr. Lonnie Smith-penned “...and the Willow Weeps,” a contrafact of the similarly named standard offers a refreshing exception to his usual by-the-numbers accompaniment.   

I first and last encountered Brown on Once Upon a Dream, a without-a-net duet setting with Stephen Riley where his fleet and plump pizzicato proved an invigorating foil for the saxophonist via a rigorous series of improvisations. That kind of energy and playful vigor is largely absent here replaced with genteel reserve that works well with the verdant material, but ultimately leaves one pining for a bit more punch and grit. The same can be said of the other players.  All are all well-versed on their instruments and tuned in to Brown’s designs, but in the final sum come off as a bit too serene and sedate to generate any lasting heat. Recorded back in the summer of 2007 and released on Brown’s own label in 2012, this particular valentine shows signs of having sat on the shelf for a while.

Derek Taylor