Eddie Harris (October 20, 1934 – November 5, 1996) was an American jazz musician, best known for playing tenor saxophone and for introducing the electrically amplified saxophone. He was also fluent on the electric piano and organ. His best-known compositions are “Freedom Jazz Dance”, recorded and popularized by Miles Davis in 1966, and “Listen Here.”
Is It In is an album by American jazz saxophonist Eddie Harris recorded in 1973 and released on the Atlantic label. It reached number 100 on the Billboard 200 chart. (wikipedia)
Eddie Harris makes a radical turn toward electronic R&B on this popping, enterprising LP of grooves, humorous one-off vignettes, and other eclectic pursuits. Driven by a standard drum kit and tacky-sounding electric bongos, some of Harris’ most irresistible grooves (“Funkaroma,” “Look Ahere”) can be found here. The title track, a Ronald Muldrow/Harris collaboration, is an ingenious self-contained little piece, a chugging machine-driven rhythm, a catchy guitar riff, and a great brief repeated chorus. Harris resurfaces as a competent piano player (with overdubbed electric sax) on the down-home “House Party Blues” and as usual, he plugs another electronic innovation into his sax on “Space Commercial,” an eerie pitch-tracking device designed by Robert Moog, inventor of the Moog synthesizer. (by Richard S. Ginell)
This is a high quality eclectic jazz set unmistakably from the mid Nineteen Seventies. The grooves are downhome and pure, Is it in and Funkorama are all time party funk classics. Lonely Lonely Nights is a superb slow jam. Great record. (by Gern Stroman)
Personnel:
Eddie Harris (saxophone, varitone, piano, vocals)
Billy James (drums, percussion)
Ronald Muldrow (guitar, guitorgan)
Rufus Reid (bass)
Tracklist:
01. Funkaroma (E.Harris/James/Muldrow/Reid) 4.57
02. Happy Gemini (S.Harris) 3.00
03. Is It In (Muldrow) 3.35
04. It’s War (E.Harris/James/Muldrow) 6.212
05. Space Commercial (Harris/James/Muldrow) 5.31
06. Look A Here (S.Harris) 3.49
07. These Lonely Nights (S.Harris) 5.47
08. House Party Blues (Harris/Muldrow/Reid/James) 8.04
09. Tranquility & Antagonistic (S.Harris) 4.16
Eddie Harris (October 20, 1934 – November 5, 1996)