Harold Land

Associated with hard bop and post-bop jazz, tenor saxophone player Harold Land was particularly noted for his dry, dark tone. Born in Houston, Texas, on December 18, 1928, Land grew up in San Diego, California, and had recorded as a bandleader by his early 20s. Soon after announcing himself as a force on the scene, he was invited to join the Max Roach-Clifford Brown quintet in the early ‘50s, which cemented his bebop bona fides. In 1958, Land released his proper debut, Harold in the Land of Jazz. Along with the next year’s The Fox, these two albums established his distinct sound and would remain some of the highest-esteemed of his solo career. In the ‘60s, Land teamed up with trumpeter Gerald Wilson, and appeared on 10 of Wilson’s albums throughout the decade, and the two reconnected for further recordings in the ‘80s. Land also co-led a quintet with vibraphone player Bobby Hutcherson from 1967-1971, and appeared on recordings by Ella Fitzgerald, Thelonious Monk, Wes Montgomery, and Dinah Washington. Outside of his extensive recording career, Land also taught jazz at UCLA. There is a song called “Harold Land” on the debut album from English progressive rock band Yes, but the band doesn’t remember why. Land died in Los Angeles on July 27, 2001, just months after he released what would be his final studio album, Promised Land.

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