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

The 3 Sounds
GenresSoul jazz
Hard bop
Post-bop
Labels
Past membersGene Harris
Andrew Simpkins
Bill Dowdy

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

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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

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1958 – 1962: Blue Note years

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

1962: Verve year

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Year Catalog number Title Date recorded Notes
1963 V-8513 Blue Genes 1962
1963 V-8514 Anita O'Day & the Three Sounds 1962 with Anita O'Day

1962 – 1964: Mercury years

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Year Catalog number Title Date recorded Notes
1963 MG 20776 The Three Sounds Play Jazz on Broadway 1962
1963 MG 20839 Some Like It Modern 1963
1964 MG 20921 Live at the Living Room 1964 live

1965 – 1966: Limelight years

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Year Catalog number Title Date recorded Notes
1965 LM 82014 Three Moods 1965 with arrangements by Julian Lee
1965 LM 82026 Beautiful Friendship 1965 with arrangements by Julian Lee
1966 LM 82037 Today's Sounds 1966-02 live; with Kalil Madi replacing Bill Dowdy on drums

1967 – 1970: Return to Blue Note

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

(Source: [2])

References

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  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
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