Harold Land


Harold de Vance Land was an American hard bop and post-bop tenor saxophonist. Land developed his hard bop playing with the Max Roach/Clifford Brown band into a personal, modern style, often rivalling Clifford Brown's instrumental ability with his own inventive and whimsical solos. His tone was strong and emotional, yet hinted at a certain introspective fragility.
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Biography

Land was born in Houston, Texas, United States and grew up in San Diego, California. He started playing at the age of 16. He made his first recording as the leader of the Harold Land All-Stars, for Savoy Records in 1949. In 1954, he joined the Clifford Brown/Max Roach Quintet, with whom he was at the forefront of the hard-bop/bebop movement. The Land family moved from San Diego to Los Angeles, in 1955. There he played with Curtis Counce, led his own groups, and co-led groups with Bobby Hutcherson, Blue Mitchell, and Red Mitchell. From the 1970s onwards, his style showed the influence of John Coltrane.
In the early 1980s through to the early 1990s he worked regularly with the Timeless All Stars, a group sponsored by the Timeless jazz record label. The group consisted of Land on tenor, Cedar Walton on piano, Buster Williams on bass, Billy Higgins on drums, Curtis Fuller on trombone and Bobby Hutcherson on vibes. Land also toured with his own band during this time, often including his son, Harold Land Jr., on piano and usually featuring Bobby Hutcherson and Billy Higgins as well. During these years he played regularly at Hop Singh's in Marina Del Rey in the L.A. area and the Keystone Korner in San Francisco.
Land was a professor at the University of California, Los Angeles. He joined the UCLA Jazz Studies Program as a lecturer in 1996 to teach instrumental jazz combo. "Harold Land was one of the major contributors in the history of the jazz saxophone," said jazz guitarist Kenny Burrell, founder and director of the UCLA Jazz Studies Program.
Land died in July 2001, from a stroke, at the age of 72.

Playing style

Land had an inimitably dark tone within the hard-bop and modal jazz paradigms. Over time this would contrast more and more with the brighter tonalities of more Coltrane-influenced saxophonists, although Land started to implement Coltrane's musical innovations. Land's "dire, brooding sound began somewhere between rhythm and blues and Coleman Hawkins, and after the early 1960s owed more and more to John Coltrane's harmonies, phrasing and experiments with modalism."

Discography

As a member

The Timeless All StarsIt's Timeless Timeless Heart Essence
  • ''Time for the Timeless All Stars''

As sideman

With Clifford Brown and Max Roach
With Curtis Counce
With Victor Feldman
With Hampton Hawes
With Billy Higgins
With Bobby HutchersonTotal Eclipse – rec. 1968Now! – rec. 1969San Francisco – rec. 1970Head On Cirrus Medina – rec. 1969Inner Glow – rec. 1975Farewell Keystone – rec. 1982Blow Up – rec. 1969
With Carmell JonesThe Remarkable Carmell Jones Business Meeting
With Philly Joe Jones
With Wes Montgomery
With Blue MitchellStratosonic Nuances African Violet Mapenzi Summer Soft
With Shorty RogersThe Swingin' Nutcracker An Invisible Orchard – rec. 1961
With Gerald WilsonYou Better Believe It! Moment of Truth Portraits On Stage Feelin' Kinda Blues The Golden Sword Live and Swinging Everywhere California Soul Eternal Equinox Lomelin Jessica Calafia
With others