The 3 Sounds Explained

The 3 Sounds
Background:group_or_band
Genre:Soul jazz
Hard bop
Post-bop
Past Members:Gene Harris
Andrew Simpkins
Bill Dowdy

The 3 Sounds (also known as The Three Sounds) was an American jazz piano trio that formed in 1956 and disbanded in 1973.

The band formed in Benton Harbor, Michigan, United States, as the Four Sounds. The original lineup 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 nine 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.

Samples in hip hop

Part of the Three Sounds song "Put On Train", from the 1971 Gene Harris album The 3 Sounds, was the prominent background sample in the hip hop group Beastie Boys' song "What Comes Around" on their 1989 album Paul's Boutique.[1]

Discography

1958 – 1962: Blue Note years

YearCatalog numberTitleDate recordedNotes
1959BLP 1600Introducing the 3 Sounds1958-09-16, -18
1959BLP 4012LD + 31959-02-18with Lou Donaldson
1959BLP 4014Bottoms Up!1958-09-16, -28, 1959-02-11
1960BLP 4020Good Deal1959-05-20
1961BLP 4044Moods1960
1961BLP 4057Blue Hour1960with Stanley Turrentine
1961BLP 4072Feelin' Good1960
1962BLP 4088Here We Come1960
1962BLP 4102Hey There1961
1963BLP 4120It Just Got to Be1960
1964BLP 4155Black Orchid1962
1966BLP 4197Out of This World1962
1986BST 84434Babe's Blues1961, 1962
1998N/AStandards1959, 1962

1962: Verve year

YearCatalog numberTitleDate recordedNotes
1963V-8513Blue Genes1962
1963V-8514Anita O'Day & the Three Sounds1962with Anita O'Day

1962 – 1964: Mercury years

YearCatalog numberTitleDate recordedNotes
1963MG 20776The Three Sounds Play Jazz on Broadway1962
1963MG 20839Some Like It Modern1963
1964MG 20921Live at the Living Room1964live

1965 – 1966: Limelight years

YearCatalog numberTitleDate recordedNotes
1965LM 82014Three Moods1965with arrangements by Julian Lee
1965LM 82026Beautiful Friendship1965with arrangements by Julian Lee
1966LM 82037Today's Sounds1966-02live; with Kalil Madi replacing Bill Dowdy on drums

1967 – 1970: Return to Blue Note

YearCatalog numberTitleDate recordedPersonnel/Notes
1967BLP 4248Vibrations1966Andy Simpkins (bass), Kalil Madi (drums)
1967BLP 4265Live at The Lighthouse1967Andy Simpkins (bass), Donald Bailey (drums); live
1968BST 84285Coldwater Flat1968Andy Simpkins (bass), Donald Bailey (drums); plus Oliver Nelson Orchestra
1968BST 84301Elegant Soul1968Andy Simpkins (bass), Carl Burnett (drums); plus orchestra
1969BST 84341Soul Symphony1969Henry Franklin (bass), Carl Burnett (drums); plus orchestra
1996N/ALive at the 'It Club'1970Henry Franklin (bass), Carl Burnett (drums); live
2000N/ALive at the 'It Club' Volume 21970Henry Franklin (bass), Carl Burnett (drums); live(Source: [2])

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: What Comes Around — Beastie Boys' Paul's Boutique Samples and References List. Brad. Benjamin. Paulsboutique.info. 2 May 2017.
  2. https://www.jazzdisco.org/the-three-sounds/catalog/album-index/ The Three Sounds Catalog - album index