Eddie Harris - Songs

ABOUT

Eddie Harris (October 20, 1934 - November 5, 1996) was an innovative jazz tenor saxophonist and songwriter with an experimental approach to music who became famous during the 1960s. Best known for "Listen Here" (1968), an R&B Top 20 hit, Harris had his biggest crossover success with his Top 40 jazz instrumental hit cover of "Exodus" (1961), the title theme from the 1960 movie starring Paul Newman. Harris' other works include "Freedom Jazz Dance," a jazz standard first recorded on his 1965 album, "The In Sound," and later popularized by Miles Davis and many others.

Born in Chicago, Illinois, Harris began singing in church at age 4 and studied music at DuSable High School under Walter Dyett where he became proficient in many instruments. He then attended Roosevelt University and launched his career in the early 1950s while still in college performing professionally with saxophonist Gene Ammons. In 1961, he signed with Vee Jay Records and released his first album, "Exodus To Jazz," which spawned the hit "Exodus" single, the first-ever jazz record to be certified gold. Harris became widely known for his innovative use of the electrically amplified saxophone and for creating such unique instruments as the reed trumpet (a trumpet with a saxophone mouthpiece) and the saxobone (a saxophone with a trombone mouthpiece). He also experimented with electric pickups and wind synthesizers, significantly expanding the sonic possibilities of jazz music. Over his long career, Harris was a featured performer at such major events as the Montreux Jazz Festival and Newport Jazz Festival. His many recordings include the Grammy-nominated albums, "The Electrifying Eddie Harris" (1968) and "Swiss Movement" (1969).

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SONGS

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Eddie Harris

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