San Diego jazz legend Harold Land was an American hard bop and post-bop tenor saxophonist who was born in Houston but grew up in San Diego. He started playing at 16 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 and developed his hard bop playing into a personal, modern style.
In the early 1980s through to the early 1990s, he worked regularly with the Timeless All Stars, a group sponsored by the Timeless jazz record label. The group consisted of Land on tenor, Cedar Walton on piano, Buster Williams on bass, Billy Higgins on drums, Curtis Fuller on trombone and Bobby Hutcherson on vibes. Land also toured with his own band during this time, often including his son on piano and usually featuring Bobby Hutcherson and Billy Higgins as well.
Land passed away July 27, 2001, at the age of 73. His 1971 album Choma (to Burn) was reissued in May 2014 by UK label Ace Records.