Eddie Harris - That Is Why You're Overweight (1975)

This LP gets off to a terrific start with "It's All Right Now," a fascinating funk loop with a repeated chorus and a solid groove. Then the restless Harris goes all over the place, with soul vocals, comedy vocals (the gluttonous title track would be an enduring part of his act), straight jazz on acoustic piano, a single extravagant production ("Tryin' Ain't Dyin'"), with tenor sax, orchestra and chorus that sounds like his large-scale '60s outings, a bold Coltrane-ish modal piece for big band ("Exempt"), and ultimately just himself on rapid bebop tenor. Some of this stuff hits, some of it misses -- in the case of bassist Bradley Bobo's embarrassing lead vocal on "Live Again," badly -- all of it suggests that Harris' curiosity and impatience had him flailing around in search of a direction. © Richard S. Ginell