weird 3 sounds record on ebay

[Jazzmoose]

Thanks, Dan! Okay, I'm not that knowledgeable about the band, although I've certainly listened to their music a bit. He mentions that they started out as the Four Sounds; who was the 'fourth sound'?

[AndrewHill]

I think I remembered hearing somewhere that it was a sax player (maybe they recorded together early on in their career in Cleveland?). Can't recall the name though.; don't think it was a well-known name though either.

Edited April 6, 2010 by Holy Ghost

[Dan Gould]

Guess you missed this the first time around, but I'm happy to tell the story again as I'm sure there are others who weren't here when I first posted about it.

In 2005 I found on eBay an acetate 78 with handwritten label, a Four Sounds demo recording. I nearly crapped my pants but luckily, either no one else understood its significance or no one else cared. I won it for a quarter.

The first saxophonist was brought into the group by Andy Simpkins and he gave the band its name. Recollections vary about why Lonnie "The Sound" Walker was fired. While Gene Harris told his wife that Walker kept a gun in his saxophone case and wasn't afraid to wave it around if a club owner wasn't forthcoming with the cash, Bill Dowdy told me that Lonnie was a limited R&B player and the group wanted to play more modern jazz so they showed him the door. Ironic that they adopted his nickname for the group name, fired him, and then achieved success while Lonnie Walker was forgotten - and no one knew what he sounded like until I found this priceless artifact.

Here are the two sides of the demo recording:

http://www.divshare.com/download/10984566-5b4

http://www.divshare.com/download/10984578-6d0

[Dan Gould]

I contacted Gene Harris' widow, Janie and she shared with me a photo of the group. When I created a CDR case, I added the caption. I've also uploaded a pic of the other side.

Edited April 6, 2010 by Dan Gould

[Jazzmoose]

Damn!

[clifford_thornton]

That's pretty rad.

[Dan Gould]

Boddie Recording studio still exists in Cleveland but they did not respond to my letter so I have no idea if its the same owners or the same family or anything. Bill Dowdy says that the studio was their rehearsal space and claimed that they did not know they were being recorded. I don't think that's true, the recording sounds very much like they knew they were being recorded and that there was a purpose behind it. For one thing, if it was a rehearsal, why such a brief rendition of "Hot Bread," why not jam on the blues for many choruses?

What was interesting to hear from Bill was that the studio and equipment was new at the time and that the owner recorded them while they jammed - often with musicians passing through Cleveland including Roy Haynes, Donald Byrd and Lee Morgan.

So I'll always dream that another acetate 78 will show up.

[blind-blake]

Man, that is so cool!!!!! Thanks