Eddie Harris' trademark chops and versatility are well showcased on this respectable follow-up to
Harris' excellent Atlantic debut,
The In Sound.
Mean Greens doesn't have a signature piece, like
The In Sound's "Freedom Jazz Dance," but the program of mostly
Harris originals is a satisfying set based around two groups: one with pianist
Cedar Walton, bassist
Ron Carter, and drummer
Billy Higgins; the other with organist
Sonny Philips, and
Harris doubling on electric piano.
Walton's steady piano vamp and the flowing swagger of the tenor solo on the title track are suggestive of "Freedom Jazz Dance," but overall, the track is straight soul-jazz compared to the elongated, oddball melody of
Harris' classic piece. The standard "It Was a Very Good Year" starts conventionally, but moves into a hard bop space, with nice work from the rhythm section, and an example of the leader's unusual altissimo range, which renders soprano sax sounds from
Harris' tenor. In his early days,
Harris made a point of learning the styles of tenor greats, from
Coleman Hawkins to
Stan Getz. On
Mean Greens, this skill is evidenced in
Harris' flawless evocation of
Sonny Rollins, on the
Rollins-esque calypso "Yeah Yeah Yeah."
The three blues-based grooves, with the double-keyboard attack of organist
Phillips and
Harris' Fender Rhodes, have a fresh, distinctive, flavor, as
Phillips' B-3 and the leader's electric piano weave together some savory funk and blues. ~ Jim Todd