Texas-born tenor saxophonist
Harold Land was an adept stylist whose sound brought together the big swinging tone and edgy harmonics of the hard bop era with the warm lyricism and dusky romance of the West Coast, where he spent much of his life. A member of the celebrated
Clifford Brown and Max Roach Quintet,
Land also enjoyed a vibrant solo career, releasing albums like 1959's
The Fox, 1963's
Jazz Impressions of Folk Music, and 1968's
The Peace-Maker, the latter of which introduced his long-running quintet with vibraphonist
Bobby Hutcherson. He also worked with luminaries like
Wes Montgomery,
Thelonious Monk,
Hampton Hawes, and
Red Mitchell, and was a member of the
Gerald Wilson Orchestra. Influenced by
John Coltrane, his playing grew more exploratory throughout the '60s and '70s, yet he never lost his swinging, melodic style as evidenced by such late-career albums as 1995's A Lazy Afternoon and 2001's A Promised Land.
Born in 1928 in Houston, Texas,
Land grew up in San Diego, where he started playing sax at age 16. He made his recorded debut for Savoy in 1949 leading his All-Stars with
Leon Petties, Froebel Brigham, and others. Following a move to Los Angeles in the mid-'50s, he joined the
Max Roach-Clifford Brown quintet, replacing
Teddy Edwards.
Land stayed in the group for over a year, appearing on such classic albums as 1954's
Brown and Roach Incorporated and 1955's Study in Brown. He then left the group to play with
Curtis Counce from 1956 to 1958, during which time he recorded with the bassist for labels like Contemporary and Dooto. There were also sessions with
Herb Geller,
Cal Tjader,
Victor Feldman, and others.
As a leader,
Land made his debut with 1958's
Harold in the Land of Jazz, playing alongside trumpeter
Rolf Ericson, pianist Carl Perkins, bassist
Leroy Vinnegar, and drummer
Frank Butler. A year later, he returned with
The Fox, an superb quintet set with trumpeter
Dupree Bolton and pianist
Elmo Hope. By the '60s,
Land was dividing his time between leading his own groups, as with bassist
Red Mitchell on 1961's
Hear Ye!, and playing with bandleader
Gerald Wilson and his orchestra. In 1963, he showcased his wide-ranging taste reinterpreting traditional folk songs like "Tom Dooley" and "On Top of Old Smokey" on
Jazz Impressions of Folk Music. There were also dates with
Wes Montgomery and
Kenny Dorham for Jazzland, and sessions with such notable players as
Carmell Jones,
Bud Shank,
Gary Peacock, and
Thelonious Monk, among others.
While
Land never went completely avant-garde, he did expand his approach throughout the '60s, influenced by the work of
John Coltrane and other progressive players. He formed a lasting quintet with vibraphonist
Bobby Hutcherson which they debuted on 1968's
The Peace-Maker and continued through the early '70s.
Land also co-led a group with trumpeter
Blue Mitchell from 1975 to 1978, recording albums like 1977's Mapenzi.
Beginning in the early '80s, he and
Hutcherson often appeared as members of the
Timeless All Stars, a group of veteran players connected to the Timeless label, also featuring pianist
Cedar Walton, trombonist
Curtis Fuller, bassist
Buster Williams, and drummer
Billy Higgins. Though his own recording slowed in the '80s (he released 1981's Xocia's Dance),
Land continued his association with the
Gerald Wilson Orchestra and performed live, often working with his son pianist Harold Land, Jr. He also moved into education, working as a professor at the University of California, Los Angeles. He also joined guitarist
Kenny Burrell's UCLA Jazz Studies Program. In 1995, he released A Lazy Afternoon, a lush orchestral album featuring arrangements by
Ray Ellis. Following a long recording hiatus,
Land returned in March 2001 with Promised Land, a hard-swinging quartet date featuring pianist
Mulgrew Miller, bassist
Ray Drummond, and drummer
Billy Higgins.
Land died in July 2001 after suffering a stroke at the age of 72. ~ Matt Collar