October 20, 1934 – November 5, 1996

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Saxophonist and composer Eddie Harris was born on October 20, 1934 in Chicago, Illinois.

Harris, along with Nat King Cole, Bo Diddley, Dinah Washington, and other classic Chicago artists, studied under Walter Dyett at DuSable High School.

Harris consistently recorded throughout the ‘60s and ‘70s, including the commercially successful Electrifying Eddie Harris, in which he pioneered the use of the electric sax.

He played a key role in introducing the electric piano and electric sax to the jazz toolkit.

The tune here – “Listen Here” – started out as a single and made it to No. 11 on the R&B charts and No. 45 on the Hot 100.

Personnel:

Eddie Harris, tenor sax
Jodie Christian, piano
Melvin Jackson, bass
Billy Hart, drums

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