Gene Harris & the Three Sounds - The Ultimate Blue Note Collection

This collection concentrates on Harris's lengthy period working with The Three Sounds (a.k.a. The 3 Sounds) the American jazz piano trio that formed in 1956 and disbanded in 1973. They got together initially in Benton Harbour, Michigan, as the Four Sounds. The original line-up consisted of Gene Harris on piano, Andrew Simpkins on double bass and Bill Dowdy on drums, along with saxophonist Lonnie "The Sound" Walker, who dropped out the following year. The group moved to Washington and then New York, where, as the Three Sounds, they cut a record for Riverside Records, before signing an exclusive contract with Blue Note. Between 1958 and 1962, the group released eight albums for Blue Note. They toured nationally during this period, building a large following in jazz clubs across the country. The trio played and recorded with the likes of saxophonists Lester Young, Lou Donaldson, Stanley Turrentine and Sonny Stitt, cornet player Nat Adderley, singer Anita O'Day, and guitarist Bucky Pizzarelli, among others. This dynamic boxed set includes all eight of these early albums by The Three Sounds, and includes such classic records as Introducing The 3 Sounds (Blue Note, 1958), Bottoms Up (Blue Note, 1959) Moods (Blue Note, 1960), Feelin' Good (Blue Note, 1961) and Hey There (Blue Note, 1962). Despite the group continuing as a trio until 1973, they initially left Blue Note in 1963, and despite re-signing with the label in 1967, their first tenure with the label is generally considered the group's golden years. There were of course many moments of glory still to come on labels such as Verve, Limelight, Mercury and of course during their second tenure with Blue Note. But for both newcomers to Gene Harris and The Three Notes, as well as those ready versed but in need of a delightful reminder of this trio's majestic sound, fans need go no further than this 4 CD Collection which displays perfectly the Three Sounds at their very finest.