Playing with Myself

RELEASE
1979
LABEL
RCA
GENRES
Jazz, Soul Jazz, Mainstream Jazz, Hard Bop

Album Review

On his second and last RCA LP, Harris strips everything down to just tenor sax and acoustic grand piano -- with himself overdubbing on both -- in an austere, uncompromising series of sessions in several studios. A bold move, particularly for RCA (which probably didn't give a damn anymore), one that few players would dare attempt and fewer could pull off. For Harris, this is only a partial success; some tracks are wandering and anarchic, others are quite musical and one in particular, the title track, actually swings quite well without a rhythm section. The most consistent problem is that Harris' piano work is unvaried in touch and rather toneless regardless of which piano he is playing, certainly not in the same class as his instantly identifiable tenor sax, which is often magnificent. Some of his more interesting compositions include "Vextious Progressions," and which is virtually as convoluted as "Giant Steps," a remake of "Freedom Jazz Dance," a careening marathon called "What," and a wee burst of muted reed trumpet as a short encore ("I Heard That").
Richard S. Ginell, Rovi

Track Listing

  1. Playin' With Myself
  2. Freedom Jazz Dance
  3. Vexatious Progressions
  4. There Is No Time
  5. Trane's In
  6. Plain Old Rhythm
  7. What
  8. In Transit
  9. I Heard That