Four CD box set of jazz legend Eddie Harris, that includes the albums ‘Is It In’, ‘I Need Some Money’, ‘Bad Luck Is All I Have’, ‘That Is Why You’re Overweight’ and ‘How Can You Live Like That?’.
Harris pioneered electronic wind instruments, like the self-designed “reed trumpet”, played using a saxophone reed, and the “saxabone,” a combination of the sax and trombone. In addition to saxophone Harris played keyboards and sang - he had been contributing vocals to his albums since 1972 where he produced vocal sounds using an electric device attached to his horn.
Two fantastic bonus tracks are included on this compilation ‘Compared To What’ & ‘Shorty Rides Again’ which come from earlier junctures in Harris’ Atlantic Records spell, both collaborations are with the late Kentucky singer and pianist, Les McCann. Their Joel Dorn- produced album ‘Swiss Movement’ spawned a million-selling single, ‘Compared To What’ whose crackling kinetic energy lit up the US R&B chart: it reached No. 35 and also hit No. 85 on The Hot 100.
After that success, Harris and McCann joined forces again in 1971 for their only studio collaboration, ‘Second Movement’, which included ‘Shorty Rides Again’ a funk juggernaut later sampled and recycled into fresh new music by hip-hoppers Eric B & Rakim and Erick Sermon.
Some of the key tracks on this box set are ‘Is It In’, ‘Space Commercial’, ‘It’s All Right Now’, ‘Get On Down’, ‘I Need Some Money’ and ‘That Is Why You're Overweight’ to name but a few.
The package includes fabulous sleeve notes by Charles Waring.
