The 3 Sounds

Last updated
The 3 Sounds
Genres Soul jazz
Hard bop
Post-bop
Labels
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.

Contents

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 1600 Introducing the 3 Sounds 1958-09-16, -18
1959BLP 4012 LD + 3 1959-02-18with Lou Donaldson
1959BLP 4014 Bottoms Up! 1958-09-16, -28, 1959-02-11
1960BLP 4020 Good Deal 1959-05-20
1961BLP 4044 Moods 1960
1961BLP 4057 Blue Hour 1960with Stanley Turrentine
1961BLP 4072 Feelin' Good 1960
1962BLP 4088 Here We Come 1960
1962BLP 4102 Hey There 1961
1963BLP 4120 It Just Got to Be 1960
1964BLP 4155 Black Orchid 1962
1966BLP 4197 Out of This World 1962
1986BST 84434 Babe's Blues 1961, 1962
1998N/A Standards 1959, 1962

1962: Verve year

YearCatalog numberTitleDate recordedNotes
1963V-8513 Blue Genes 1962
1963V-8514 Anita O'Day & the Three Sounds 1962with Anita O'Day

1962 – 1964: Mercury years

YearCatalog numberTitleDate recordedNotes
1963MG 20776 The Three Sounds Play Jazz on Broadway 1962
1963MG 20839 Some Like It Modern 1963
1964MG 20921 Live at the Living Room 1964live

1965 – 1966: Limelight years

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

1967 – 1970: Return to Blue Note

YearCatalog numberTitleDate recordedPersonnel/Notes
1967BLP 4248 Vibrations 1966Andy Simpkins (bass), Kalil Madi (drums)
1967BLP 4265 Live at The Lighthouse 1967Andy Simpkins (bass), Donald Bailey (drums); live
1968BST 84285 Coldwater Flat 1968Andy Simpkins (bass), Donald Bailey (drums); plus Oliver Nelson Orchestra
1968BST 84301 Elegant Soul 1968Andy Simpkins (bass), Carl Burnett (drums); plus orchestra
1969BST 84341 Soul Symphony 1969 Henry Franklin (bass), Carl Burnett (drums); plus orchestra
1996N/A Live at the 'It Club' 1970Henry Franklin (bass), Carl Burnett (drums); live
2000N/A Live at the 'It Club' Volume 2 1970Henry Franklin (bass), Carl Burnett (drums); live

(Source: [2] )

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References

  1. Benjamin, Brad. "What Comes Around — Beastie Boys' Paul's Boutique Samples and References List". Paulsboutique.info. Retrieved 2 May 2017.
  2. The Three Sounds Catalog - album index accessed January 25, 2018