Even if ‚Free Speech‘ doesn’t have the monumental size and significance of other Eddie Harris albums, it is still remarkable. On few recordings in the late ’60s, early ’70s can you hear so clearly the two dominant jazz influences of free jazz and soul jazz right next to each other.

This also makes ‘Free Speech’ not so easy to convey – the wonderful ‚Boogie Woogie Bossa Nova’ is certainly too shallow and obviously chumming up for the Black New Thing connoisseur, ‘Penthology’, on the other hand, would surely make every soul-groove-funky trained jazz ear hesitate in irritation at dinner.

I love both and prefer to hear to the record completely on its own. I can always listen to Mr. Harris remixing the influences of his time with his own playing. Electronically amplified, full of soul, feeling and groove.

Stefan Mohr