Matthew Posted March 15, 2003 Report Share Posted March 15, 2003 Walking through Amoeba (Ameoba?) Records this morning, I came across a lp copy of "Presenting The Three Sounds", and decided, "What the heck? I've never heard them, I'll give it a shot". I went home, put it on, and darn, these guys are great! Harris plays in a great, funky style, and the whole trio is as tight as anything I've heard. The sound RVG got from the band was amazing (it was a bl/w Liberty pressing). Downside: I'm going to have to buy more Three Sounds, as it seems a Mosaic is out for the picture. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan Gould Posted March 15, 2003 Report Share Posted March 15, 2003 Glad you finally did give them a try. Lots more great Sounds lps to look for, the top of my list would be Moods, Feelin Good, Here We Come. I think the last CD issue was Live at the Lighthouse, you can probably still find it fairly easily. And don't forget the album they did with Stanley Turrentine, Blue Hour! Some people say it puts them to sleep, but this is a terrific album of late night blues by two masters. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jazzmoose Posted March 15, 2003 Report Share Posted March 15, 2003 I have to give it up to Dan myself. I picked up the Blue Hour discs he mentions in a trade, and I have to admit, this is good stuff! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ed S Posted March 15, 2003 Report Share Posted March 15, 2003 I never understood why BN has not done more Sounds reissues either as RvGs or Conns. I thought these guys sold fairly well originally and MC has said in the past that past sales trends generally carry over to reissue sales. I've got all the Sounds stuff that BN has reissued domestically but have not gone the import route. I'm waiting for BN to wise up or for perhaps Mosaic to do some Three Sounds releases. Selects perhaps? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brad Posted March 15, 2003 Report Share Posted March 15, 2003 As the second biggest fan on this or any other board of the Sounds (we all bow down before the great GHF Fanatic B) ), I would love to see anything come out from Blue Note. However, Moods would be great. Their rendition of Love for Sale is a classic. Michael doesn't think the stuff would sell but I think it would. Heck, i'd buy a few copies myself if it would help. They were big sellers and BN released these in the 50-60s because they sold and were popular. In Hard Bop by David Rosenthal, he indicates that the tendency was towards ballads and funky numbers and that BN relied "heavily" towards the kind of playing done by the Sounds, organists like Big John Patton, Jimmy Smith and Baby Face, guitarists like Kenny Burrell and Grant Green, and saxophonists like Lou Donaldson, Ike Quebec and Stanley Turrentine. Well, they've gotten their due lately, but not the Sounds. Hey, Kevin, can you talk to Michael about this. We've tried but not too much success. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikeb Posted March 16, 2003 Report Share Posted March 16, 2003 OK, well, if Brad is the second-biggest fan, then I'm the third-biggest! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brad Posted March 16, 2003 Report Share Posted March 16, 2003 We need more fans and people to put pressure on BN or Mosaic. Maybe we should start one of those "I demand" threads that somebody start way back when. I just don't know if anybody is listening any more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alexander Posted March 16, 2003 Report Share Posted March 16, 2003 I've got a couple of "Three Sounds" discs (including "Blue Hour"), and I think the main reason that more haven't been reissued is because there's a lot of similarity between the albums. Not that they're bad. Very high level playing. But, and I know I'll get flamed for this, the Sounds had one style of playing (funky) and they did it on every recording (they were one of the top selling acts on Blue Note at the time. They had a formula, and they stuck to it). My feeling is that you *can* have too many Three Sounds discs. But I enjoy the few that I have. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan Gould Posted March 17, 2003 Report Share Posted March 17, 2003 I've got a couple of "Three Sounds" discs (including "Blue Hour"), and I think the main reason that more haven't been reissued is because there's a lot of similarity between the albums. Not that they're bad. Very high level playing. But, and I know I'll get flamed for this, the Sounds had one style of playing (funky) and they did it on every recording (they were one of the top selling acts on Blue Note at the time. They had a formula, and they stuck to it). My feeling is that you *can* have too many Three Sounds discs. But I enjoy the few that I have. Alexander, in some ways you are right and in some ways you are wrong. Yes, it is true that in their first, "classic" period with BN, there was a certain sameness to the albums-standards, a bop tune, a ballad, a Gene Harris original or two. And that sameness and the fact that there were so many LPs makes it hard to justify a big box set, or even that many reissues. However, to say they have a single style of playing-"funky"-is too simplistic. Yes, Harris brought the funk 'n' blues, but this wasn't the case across every single tune of every single LP. Different tunes got different treatments, but you never forget whose "Sounds" you are hearing. Have you heard LD + 3 from the Mosaic box? That ain't funk, my man! That be bop. (pun intended) If a couple of Sounds albums are enough for you, fine by me. For the rest of us Fanatics, the style is so infectious and flat out fun, we want to hear all of it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
randissimo Posted March 17, 2003 Report Share Posted March 17, 2003 ....The drummer, Bill Dowdy, lives in Battle Creek, MI... He still gigs but mostly on keyboard.... Just a bit of trivia Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe G Posted March 17, 2003 Report Share Posted March 17, 2003 ....The drummer, Bill Dowdy, lives in Battle Creek, MI... He still gigs but mostly on keyboard.... Just a bit of trivia And a further bit of trivia: I played a gig with him (albeit at two elementary schools) a few years back. Nice guy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikeb Posted March 17, 2003 Report Share Posted March 17, 2003 HALLALEUJAH!!!! I have been wondering for several years what happened to Mr. Dowdy. Glad to hear that he is alive, and hopefully, well! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brad Posted March 21, 2003 Report Share Posted March 21, 2003 As part of an email to Mosaic about the Mosaic Select Bennie Green, I also asked about a Three Sounds Mosaic Select, which I do every couple of months just to "keep hope alive". Got a response back from Michael, saying that he's trying to figure out a way to divide up the Sounds "legacy" into 3 or 4 Mosaic Selects. He believes that might work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AfricaBrass Posted March 21, 2003 Report Share Posted March 21, 2003 As part of an email to Mosaic about the Mosaic Select Bennie Green, I also asked about a Three Sounds Mosaic Select, which I do every couple of months just to "keep hope alive". Got a response back from Michael, saying that he's trying to figure out a way to divide up the Sounds "legacy" into 3 or 4 Mosaic Selects. He believes that might work. That's great news! I hope he ends up doing it. I'd buy all 4 sets. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikeb Posted March 21, 2003 Report Share Posted March 21, 2003 As would I! Provided they don't come out before May 1st ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest WINGY (I STAY BOMBED) Posted March 22, 2003 Report Share Posted March 22, 2003 THE THREE SOUNDS? BLUE NOTE'S ANSWER TO ARGO'S RAMSEY LEWIS. PRETTY LIGHTWEIGHT. BeeeerrrrrRRRRRT ! WINGY Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Saint Vitus Posted March 22, 2003 Report Share Posted March 22, 2003 If Wingy had Feather, he would've dramatically declared Gene Harris the lightweight champion of the piano. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soul Stream Posted March 22, 2003 Report Share Posted March 22, 2003 Why doesn't Bill Dowdy play drums anymore? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JSngry Posted March 22, 2003 Report Share Posted March 22, 2003 To get to the other side? Sorry.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matthew Posted September 25, 2007 Author Report Share Posted September 25, 2007 (edited) As part of an email to Mosaic about the Mosaic Select Bennie Green, I also asked about a Three Sounds Mosaic Select, which I do every couple of months just to "keep hope alive". Got a response back from Michael, saying that he's trying to figure out a way to divide up the Sounds "legacy" into 3 or 4 Mosaic Selects. He believes that might work. Been listening to Harris lately, think I'll email Mosaic and see what, if anything, is happening with the Select idea. Edited September 25, 2007 by Matthew Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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