Representative Albums: "Harold in the Land of Jazz," "Mapenzi," "A Lazy Afternoon"
Biography
Harold Land is an underrated tenor saxophonist whose tone has hardened with time and whose improvising style after the 1960s became influenced by (but not a copy of) John Coltrane. He grew up in San Diego and started playing tenor when he was 16. After working locally and making his recording debut for Savoy (1949), Land had his first high-profile gig in 1954 when he joined the Clifford Brown/Max Roach Quintet. Land performed and recorded with the group until late 1955 when due to family problems he had to return home to Los Angeles (where he has been based ever since). He played with Curtis Counce's band (1956-1958), recorded a pair of memorable albums for Contemporary (1958-1959), led his own groups in the 1960s, and co-led groups with Bobby Hutcherson (1967-1971) and Blue Mitchell (1975-1978). Harold Land continued freelancing around Los Angeles up until his death in 2001. Land recorded as a leader (in addition to Savoy and Contemporary) for such labels as Jazzland, Blue Note, Imperial, Atlantic, Cadet, Mainstream, Concord, Muse, and Postcards. His son, Harold Land, Jr., occasionally played piano with his groups. ~ Scott Yanow, All Music Guide
Land grew up in San Diego and 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. Because of family problems he moved 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 on his style showed the influence of John Coltrane. Harold was a professor at the University of California Los Angeles. Land 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. "He was a vital and well-loved member of the jazz faculty here at UCLA." Among those previously mentioned he performed and/or recorded with were Wes Montgomery, Thelonious Monk, Bill Evans, Red Garland, Hampton Hawes, Jimmy Smith, Nancy Wilson, Billie Holiday, and Billy Higgins.[1]
In the early 80's through early 90's he worked regularly with the Timeless All Stars, a group sponsored by the Timeless Jazz record label that sounds a bit commercial but was anything but. 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. All these players were in their prime in these years and fortunately good recordings are available. Land also toured with his own band during this time, often including his son on piano and usually featuring Bobby Hutcherson and Billy Higgins as well. During these years he played regularly at Hop Singhs in Marina Del Ray in the L.A area and the Keystone Korner in San Francisco. Land evolved from his hard bop playing with the Max Roach/Clifford Brown band into a very personal, modern stylist. His tone was strong and emotional, yet displayed a certain fragility that made him easy to recognize. Coltrane was a strong influence, but you would never mistake his tone for Coltrane, it was distinctly Harold Land.
