Search - Eddie Harris :: Tale of Two Cities

Gimmicks and sidetracks sometimes overwhelm the songs

loce_the_wizard | Lilburn, GA USA | 08/04/2006

(3 out of 5 stars)

"This CD is assembled from live two sessions: three tracks from a Chicago gig in 1983, Chicago Serenade, Sonnymoon for Two, and Illusionary Dreams and the rest from a San Francisco gig from 1978. Oddly, the tracks from the different sessions are not grouped together, which makes an already disjointed album sound even less cohesive.



Eddie Harris was a talented, freewheeling jazzman who dabbled into all mode and manner of music. These live sessions show that he is not above poking fun at himself or even his audience, though not in a mean-spirited fashion.



Sometimes the gimmicks and sidetracks overwhelm the songs, and his scat vocals prove not to be his strong suite. When Mr. Harris gets down to business, as he does on the wonderful Chicago Serenade--the best track here, there is magic in the air. But too often, the songs here represent either a bit too much experimentation or a bit too much doodling.

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