Gene Harris
One of the most accessible of all jazz pianists, Gene Harris' soulful style (influenced by Oscar Peterson and containing the blues-iness of a Junior Mance) was immediately likable and predictably excellent. After playing in an Army band (1951-1954), he formed a trio with bassist Andy Simpkins and drummer Bill Dowdy which was, by 1956, known as the Three Sounds. The group was quite popular, and recorded regularly during 1956-1970 for Blue Note and Verve. Although the personnel changed and the music became more R&B-oriented in the early '70s, Harris retained the Three Sounds name for his later Blue Note sets. He retired to Boise, ID, in 1977, and was largely forgotten when Ray Brown persuaded him to return to the spotlight in the early '80s. Harris worked for a time with the Ray Brown Trio and led his own quartets in the years to follow, recording regularly for Concord and heading the Phillip Morris Superband on a few tours; 1998's Tribute to Count Basie even earned a Grammy nomination. While awaiting a kidney transplant, he died on January 16, 2000, at the age of 66.
© Scott Yanow /TiVo
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Discography
12 album(s) • Sorted by Bestseller
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Astral Signal
Jazz - Released by EMI MUSIC JAPAN INC. on Oct 26, 1974
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Tone Tantrum
Jazz Fusion & Jazz Rock - Released by EMI MUSIC JAPAN INC. on May 1, 1977
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Ballad Essentials: Gene Harris
Jazz - Released by Concord Records on Jan 1, 2003
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Down Home Blues (Album Version)
Jazz - Released by Concord Records on Jan 1, 1997
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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The Maybeck Recital Series, Vol. 23 (Live At Maybeck Recital Hall, Berkeley, CA / 1993)
Jazz - Released by Concord Jazz on Aug 3, 1992
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
In A Special Way
Jazz - Released by Blue Note Records on Jan 1, 1976
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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Big Band Soul
Gene Harris, The Philip Morris Superband
Jazz - Released by Concord Records on Jan 1, 2002
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Live At Otter Crest (Live)
Jazz - Released by Concord Records on Jan 1, 1981
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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