Complete Blue Hour Sessions
The Three Sounds were pianist Gene Harris, bassist Andy Simpkins, and drummer Bill Dowdy, and they swung in-the-pocket. Although they were not as acclaimed as theModern Jazz Quartet, theRamsey LewisTrio, and other marquee combos, their streamlined sound bridgedCount Basieand bebop into a modern yet grooving sensibility. This two-CD set features the trio's entire 1960Blue Hoursessions with saxophonist Stanley Turrentine. With Turrentine's robust, storytelling tenor sound, these dates are no-nonsense straight-ahead numbers and ballads, including "Willow Weep for Me," Andy Razaf's "Gee Baby, Ain't I Been Good to You," andOscar Pettiford's "Blues in the Closet." Harris's lyrical ivory ticklings, Dowdy's zesty drum work, and Simpkins's deep and delicious bass lines get Turrentine's driving tenor as a topping and show that this ensemble was the real deal.--Eugene Holley Jr.