Harold Land

Harold de Vance Land (1928–2001) was an American hard bop and post-bop tenor saxophonist.
He was self-taught, and made his first recording, as the leader of the Harold Land All-Stars, for Savoy Records in 1949. In 1954 he joined the Clifford Brown/Max Roach Quintet. Because of family problems he moved to Los Angeles in 1955. There he played with Curtis Counce, led his own groups, and co-led groups with Bobby Hutcherson, Blue Mitchell, and Red Mitchell. From the 1970s on his style showed the influence of John Coltrane. Harold was a professor at the University of California Los Angeles. Land joined the UCLA Jazz Studies Program as a lecturer in 1996 to teach instrumental jazz combo. "Harold Land was one of the major contributors in the history of the jazz saxophone," said jazz guitarist Kenny Burrell, founder and director of the UCLA Jazz Studies Program. "He was a vital and well-loved member of the jazz faculty here at UCLA." Among those previously mentioned he performed and/or recorded with were Wes Montgomery, Thelonious Monk, Bill Evans, Red Garland, Jimmy Smith, Nancy Wilson, Billie Holiday, and Billy Higgins.

He continued playing professionally until his death, and recorded frequently as a leader. Among his most highly regarded albums are The Harold Land Quintet (1958), reissued as Harold in the Land of Jazz, and The Fox (1959) with Elmo Hope, Dupree Bolton, Herbie Lewis, and Frank Butler.