Unassuming Tenor Saxophonist with an Original Voice

Harold Land was an original voice in the crowded field of bop-inspired tenor saxophonists. He chose to spend most of his career in Los Angeles, where his sharp, hard-edged sound went against the perceived norm of the so-called cool sound associated with the west coast. He will be remembered particularly for his two year spell with the great band co-led by Clifford Brown and Max Roach, one of the seminal jazz groups of the mid-1950s, and his own classic albums, In The Land of Jazz and The Fox.

He was born Harold de Vance Land in Houston, but grew up in San Diego, California. His interest in playing jazz was sparked by hearing Coleman Hawkins