The Three Sounds

The Three Sounds: Groovin' Hard: Live at the Penthouse 1964-1968

by Chris M. Slawecki
August 27, 2017

In the five years spanning 1958 to '62, not only a time of great consolidation and experimentation in jazz but a glorious age for the label, who would you guess was Blue Note Records' best-selling act? Thanks to their nine albums and nearly two dozen more jukebox singles, it was The Three Sounds. Led by pianist Gene Harris with constant bassist Andy Simpkins and a rotation of drummers, the Sounds helped solidify the acoustic piano trio as a ...

Gene Harris: Live

by Jim Santella
December 1, 1998

Gene Harris and the Philip Morris All-Stars recorded a live session in 1995 at The University Club in San Diego. A finer group of jazz all-stars would be hard to find. With the pianist serving as the glue that holds it all together, Harris’ soulful piano catches fire on the first number and never lets up. George Mraz walks the bass lines confidently and delivers rooted riffs. Kenny Burrell adds some rhythmic color from time to time and stretches out ...

Gene Harris & the Philip Morris All-Stars: Live

by Jack Bowers
December 1, 1998

All–Stars? They don’t shine much brighter than this. Most of these gentlemen have been winning Jazz polls and receiving other well–deserved honors for many years. The exception is drummer Nash, a relative newcomer who isn’t winning many polls — yet — but should be, and who certainly isn’t out of place among these heavyweights. This concert, recorded in April 1995 at the University Club in San Diego, California, was part of a seminar whose focus was, appropriately enough, free speech, ...

The Three Sounds: Standards

by C. Michael Bailey
August 1, 1998

Uncontainable. It is often said in any generic biography about almost any jazz pianist that they were skilled in playing the blues. This may or may not be true. In the case of Gene Harris, he should be the definition of jazz blues. His playing has always possessed a muscular, intelligent, double-fisted character that appealed to me. His range is encyclopedic with that ever-present tinge of gospel-blues that makes his performances very accessible to jazz buffs and nonjazz listeners alike. ...

The Three Sounds: Babe's Blues

by Douglas Payne
April 1, 1997

Bravo for pianist Gene Harris, who seems to have recently and belatedly been discovered. After churning out dozens of fine records in the 1960s for Blue Note, Verve, Mercury and Limelight, then drowning in funk and disco records in the 1970s, he finally gave it all up and retired to Idaho. Bassist Ray Brown coaxed him back into playing in the mid 1980s and the two formed a terrific group that recorded frequently for the Concord label.

Since then, Harris ...

Three Sounds: Groovin' Hard

Source: JazzWax by Marc Myers
January 17, 2017

In the early 1960s, a growing number of lounges and clubs geared to young adults began emerging in Chicago. Some clubs such as the Playboy Club, which first opened in Chicago in 1960, pulled in white customers, while plenty of others were aimed at African-American audiences. All of these establishments began featuring jazz-soul trios, offering a sophisticated, chill alternative to pop and the discotheque phenomenon. The soul-jazz trio concept became so popular in Chicago and on LP that it soon ...
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