Personnel includes: Eddie Harris (vocals, acoustic & electric tenor saxophones, keyboards); King Curtis, David Newman (tenor saxophone); Heywood Henry, Seldon Powell (baritone saxophone); Ray Codrington, Joe Newman, Jimmy Owens, Snooky Young (trumpet); Tom McIntosh (trombone); Benne Powell (bass trombone); Jodie Christian (acoustic & electric pianos); Cedar Walton (piano); Muhal Richard Abrams (electric piano); Ronald Muldrow (guitar, guitorgan); Ron Carter, Melvin Jackson, Louie Spears, Rufus Reid (bass); Charles Rainey (electric bass); Billy Higgins, Richard Smith, Grady Tate, Billy Hart (drums); Joe Wohletz, Ray Barretto, Felix Henry (percussion); Mary Ann Stewart, Vivian Harrell, Marilyn Haywood (background vocals).
Producers include: Nesuhi Ertegun, Arif Mardin, Joel Dorn, Marvin Lagunoff, Eddie Harris.
Compilation producer: Bob Porter.
Engineers include: Tom Dowd, Phil Iehle, Bruce Tergesen.
Recorded between 1965 and 1973.
Personnel: Eddie Harris (vocals, tenor saxophone, electric saxophone, keyboards); Ronald Muldrow (guitar); King Curtis (tenor saxophone); Haywood Henry, Seldon Powell (baritone saxophone); Jimmy Owens, Joe Newman , Mel Lastie, Ray Codrington, Snooky Young (trumpet); Tom McIntosh (trombone); Bennie Powell (bass trombone); Jodie Christian, Cedar Walton (piano); Muhal Richard Abrams (electric piano); Chuck Rainey (bass guitar); Richard Smith , William James, Grady Tate, Billy Hart, Billy Higgins (drums); Felix Henry (percussion); Marilyn Haywood, Mary Ann Stewart, Vivian Harrell (background vocals).
Audio Remixer: Bruce Swedien.
Photographer: Fred Seligo.
Part of a massive Atlantic Jazz Anthology series in 1970, this LP-turned-CD was skimpy in its day, and now serves as the sketchiest of introductions to this bewilderingly eclectic saxophonist/inventor/pianist/bopper/balladeer/funkmeister. Even assuming the limited time frame, why were three of Eddie Harris' seven Atlantic albums up to that point (Mean Greens, The Tender Storm, Silver Cycles) not even represented, and where is that galvanic swinger "Sham Time"? That said, there is still an awful lot of great '60s jazz on this Best of Eddie Harris anyway: the funky-funky hit version of "Listen Here," two of its soulful successors, "Live Right Now" and "Movin' on Out"; the enduring pretzel-like "Freedom Jazz Dance"; a nice cover of "The Shadow of Your Smile"; and the lush, perhaps even tongue-in-cheek "Theme in Search of a Movie." Buy this only if you cannot afford the far-more-comprehensive two-CD box, Artist's Choice. ~ Richard S. Ginell
