Mark Maxwell, Saxophonist

Eddie Harris (1933-1996) was an amazing saxophonist and musician, an inventor and innovator, an educator, a savvy and successful businessman, a masterful performer, a fierce individualist, and a true smooth jazz pioneer.

Eddie Harris is not a super-famous sax man.  He’s not someone that gets mentioned a lot when you ask sax players who they listen to or are influenced by.

But when you consider his career and his achievements, and the pervasive influence of his style and technological innovations, it becomes clear that Eddie Harris was a major force in the evolution of jazz/funk/blues fusion music, i.e., the forerunner of smooth jazz.

Here’s a quote from an article about Eddie Harris at the Ubiquity Records website:

In the course of recording more than 70 albums and CD’s, and the author of seven (7) music books, Eddie has displayed himself as a jazz artist who has played blues, rock, jazz fusion, straight-ahead, soul and funk grooves.  Eddie’s pioneering work in musical electronics and the effective conjunction of different elements of blues, rhythm and blues, jazz and funk has had widespread influence of what is generally considered today’s music. Eddie’s music has been sampled by over 30 artists including: Macy Gray, Jamiroquai, DJ Jazz Jeff, Heavy D and the Fresh Prince.

Note the reference to the ‘effective conjunction of different elements of blues, rhythm and blues, jazz and funk’.  That’s smooth jazz, man!

And from the Eddie Harris website:

Eddie’s pioneering work in musical electronics and the effective conjunction of different elements of blues, rhythm and blues, jazz and funk has had widespread influence of what is generally considered today’s music. Eddie’s music has been sampled by over 30 artists including: Macy Gray, Jamiroquai, DJ Jazz Jeff, Heavy D and the Fresh Prince.

‘…widespread influence of what is generally considered today’s music.’ Again, that’s referring to smooth jazz.

To be precise, Eddie Harris recorded 76 albums.  Three of his albums, including his very first release, Exodus To Jazz, were certified gold (over one million copies sold).  I guarantee this album was being heard in every household in the country back in the mid-60’s.  His composition, Freedom Jazz Dance, was recorded by Miles Davis, and subsequently became a jazz standard.  He wrote most of the music heard on The Bill Cosby Show.

One of the most interesting things about Eddie Harris’ career was his work as an inventor and innovator.  Among his many innovations (including the reed mouthpiece for the trumpet, coronet, trombone and flugelhorn) was the use of the Varitone, which was, in effect, an electric pickup for the saxophone.

His use of the Varitone can be heard prominently on many of his recordings, including one his most popular hits, Listen Here, from his album The Electrifying Eddie Harris.  You can hear the electricified quality, and especially the doubled lower octave, on this excerpt from Listen Here, recorded in 1967:

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Finally, Eddie Harris was a fierce individualist.  He followed his heart wherever it led him.  He was often villified by critics, first for his commercial success (they thought he was selling out) and later for his forays into funk and electronics.

Eddie Harris, a true smooth jazz pioneer.

“I started by definitely being a copycat. That’s the way it was. I mean, I wanted to be the white Grover Washington Jr. and I think I became the white Grover Washington Jr.”

You know who said that? You might be surprised. It was Kenny G! Proof positive that Grover Washington Jr. was a smooth jazz saxophone pioneer: The best selling instrumentalist of all time (Kenny G) started off wanting to sound just like him.

I remember seeing Grover and his band at the Embassy Theatre in Fort Wayne, IN back in the late 70’s, me and 2,000 my black brothers and sisters. We were all on our feet the whole time. He grooved so hard, so deep. It was incredible!

There’s an excellent biography of Grover at musicianguide.com. Here’s a couple of interesting excerpts, the first being about his big music business “break”:

His first big musical break came quite by accident. Commercially-minded record producer Creed Taylor had put together a set of pop-funk tunes for alto saxophonist Hank Crawford. On the eve of the recording date, Crawford was arrested “on a two-year-old driving charge,” Washington told Rolling Stone. Taylor then called in the little-known Washington as a last-minute replacement and had him play the alto parts. The album, Inner City Blues, was released in 1971 under Washington’s name. It became a hit–an album, Palmer wrote in the New York Times, “that sold hundreds of thousands of copies and did much to break down barriers between jazz and pop.” As Washington admitted to Wansley, “My big break was blind luck.”

And this about his influence in the pre-smooth jazz music scene:

Washington developed what is called a jazz-pop or jazz-rock fusion musical style. It consists of jazz improvisation over a pop or rock beat. Although he came from a jazz background, influenced by such artists as John Coltrane, Joe Henderson, and Oliver Nelson, Washington’s wife got him interested in pop music. “I encouraged him to listen to more pop,” Christine told Rolling Stone. “His intent was to play jazz, but he started listening to both, and at one point he told me he just wanted to play what he felt, without giving it a label.”

The popularity of Washington’s brand of jazz-pop helped make jazz-pop music a success. Keyboardist Bob James told Wansley, “Grover was one of the main people to make this crossover movement happen. We had people intrigued by jazz, but a lot of it was so complex they didn’t relate to it. Grover maintained a very high level of musicianship and yet his playing was very melodic and direct.”

Smooth jazz poineer, indeed.

Grammy award winner, hit song writer, sax legend Grover Washington Jr. Truly a smooth jazz saxophone pioneer. Check this 1981 video of Grover and his band playing his hit, ‘Mister Magic.’ Enjoy!

I’ve always been a huge John Klemmer fan. Indeed, he and Paul Desmond were my first sax heroes.

Klemmer, the self-styled “Ambassador Of Cool,” was a smooth jazz saxophone pioneer, composing and performing music back in the 70’s that was smooth, hip and easy - way, way before Kenny G broke the world of smooth jazz sax wide open.

Here’s a YouTube clip of Klemmer back in the 70’s when he was only 19! Amazing innovative stuff! And check the size of the gong that Alphonse Mouzon has - it’s huge!

Enjoy!