EDDIE HARRIS — The Last Concert (1997) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Unless something unauthorized turns up, this appears to be Eddie Harris' last recording. The concert was taped in Europe -- where Harris was far more respected in his last years than in America -- eight months before his death. The occasion would be an atypical affair for him, appearing as a featured soloist (along with the fine trombonist Nils Landgren and, on one track, trumpeter John Marshall) in front of the WDR Big Band in Cologne. At first, the program consists of a series of straight-ahead Gil Goldstein charts on well-worn soul-jazz classics like "Sidewinder," "Moanin'," "Wade in the Water," and "Work Song," and then takes a decided, somewhat less successful turn toward '60s soul on "When a Man Loves a Woman" and "Gimme Some Lovin'" (with idiomatic vocals by Haywood J. Gregory). Of Harris' own corpus of tunes, only the inevitable "Freedom Jazz Dance" appears here (in an Arif Mardin chart), with Eddie offering probably the last of his fascinating run of solos over the previous three decades on his bewildering tune. Though ailing at the time (the inside photo shows that he doesn't look well at all), Harris is still in undiminished, swinging, highly individual form through the concert, gliding easily over the rhythm section on tenor sax and switching on some of his electronic octave doubling and harmonizing effects. By now, his vocabulary of funky licks had long been set in stone, so there are no revelations, just an assured apotheosis of his distinctive style. The day after the concert, Harris and Goldstein went into WDR Studio 4 to record a long, poignant duo encore, "You Stole My Heart," which features an unexpectedly deep, soulful vocal by Eddie and a pair of lingering, pithy, affectionate tenor solos that seem to bid farewell in a most touching way. Whether he knew it or not, that last tune is a marvelous epitaph. Richard S. Ginell

"On his Last Concert, the outstanding stature of the musician becomes evident once again." - JAZZPODIUM ACT
Tracklist :
1    SideWinder 8:08
Soloist – E. Harris, Frank Chastenier
Written-By – Lee Morgan
2    Moanin' 7:30
Soloist – E. Harris, John Marshall, Nils Landgren
Written-By – Bobby Timmons
3    Wade In The Water 5:45
 – Traditional
Soloist – E. Harris
4    Freedom Jazz Dance 4:56
Arranged By – Arif Mardin, Gil Goldstein
Soloist – E. Harris, N. Landgren
Written-By – Eddie Harris
5    Work Song 5:57
Soloist – E. Harris, N. Landgren
Written-By – Nat Adderley
6    When A Man Loves A Woman 5:39
Arranged By – Tom Malone
Vocals – Haywood J. Gregory
Written-By – Wright, Lewis
7    Gimme Some Lovin' 10:22
Vocals – Haywood J. Gregory
Written-By – Davis, Winwood
8    You Stole My Heart - The Last Encore 14:07
Piano – Gil Goldstein
Tenor Saxophone – Eddie Harris
Credits :
Accompanied By – Bernard Purdie, Dave King, Dean Brown, Haywood J. Gregory, Nils Landgren
Band – WDR Big Band Köln (tracks: 1 to 7)
Bass – John Goldsby (tracks: 1 to 7)
Conductor – Gil Goldstein (tracks: 1 to 7)
Piano, Organ – Frank Chastenier (tracks: 1 to 7)
Saxophone – Harald Rosenstein (tracks: 1 to 7), Heiner Wiberny (tracks: 1 to 7), Jens Neufang (tracks: 1 to 7), Olivier Peters (tracks: 1 to 7), Rolf Römer (tracks: 1 to 7)
Trombone – Bernt Laukamp (tracks: 1 to 7), Dave Horler (tracks: 1 to 7), Henning Berg (tracks: 1 to 7), Roy Deuvall (tracks: 1 to 7)
Trumpet – Andy Haderer (tracks: 1 to 7), John Marshall (tracks: 1 to 7), Klaus Osterloh (tracks: 1 to 7), Rob Bruynen (tracks: 1 to 7), Rüdiger Baldauf (tracks: 1 to 7)

JIMMY SMITH / EDDIE HARRIS - All the Way Live (1981-1996) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Strange as it seems, organist Jimmy Smith and tenor saxophonist Eddie Harris have to this date only played together once. Their recorded collaboration at San Francisco's Keystone Korner in 1981 has recently been released for the first time by Milestone on All the Way Live. Harris (who utilizes an electrified tenor) and Smith (along with drummer Kenny Dixon) jam a couple of blues, the funky "8 Counts for Rita" (which has some audience participation) and three familiar standards. The recording quality is not state-of-the-art but is certainly listenable and the high level of the playing overcomes any technical deficiencies. Essentially a hard bop stylist, Eddie Harris's brilliance and originality are sometimes hidden under his innovative use of electronics but he has long had his own sound while Jimmy Smith is the originator of his very influential style. Highlights of the date include "Autumn Leaves," "A Child Is Born" and "Old Folks" and this live set easily surpasses Smith and Harris's studio recordings of the time period. A reunion is long overdue. by Scott Yanow
Tracklist :
1     You'll See 11:33
Jimmy Smith
2     Autumn Leaves 11:41
Joseph Kosma / Johnny Mercer / Jacques Prévert
3     A Child Is Born 9:07
Thad Jones
4     8 Counts for Rita 5:50
Jimmy Smith
5     Old Folks 10:35
Dedette Lee Hill / Willard Robison
6     The Sermon 9:21
Jimmy Smith
Credits :
Drums – Kenny Dixon
Organ, MC – Jimmy Smith
Tenor Saxophone – Eddie Harris