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The venerable Blue Note label has long been a trademark of quality; even if you’re not familiar with the artist or the recorded work, chances are that if it came out on Blue Note, it’s at least worth checking out. And that’s true for the pair of confusingly- and similarly-named albums released in the early 70s. Gene Harris \/ The Three Sounds<\/em> (1971) and Gene Harris of the Three Sounds<\/em> (1972) are soul jazz (and just-plain-jazz with (and without) vocals. Very much of their time, these LPs have aged well, despite being hard to locate for many years. Now reissued on Real Gone Music, these sixteen cuts of funky-soul and jazz goodness can be enjoyed by modern audiences.<\/p>\n Gene Harris<\/strong>‘ piano enlivens every one of these tracks, but don’t let the Three Sounds<\/strong> monicker fool you into thinking these cuts are just piano, bass and drums. There’s some (here’s that word again) funky guitar work, plus some tasty percussion to spice things up. Imagine a cross between some of the more soulful jazz pianists of the era (Herbie Hancock<\/strong>, to name one) and the kind of thing that Isaac Hayes<\/strong><\/a> did in his more uptempo moments, and you’ll have a flavor for The Three Sounds.<\/p>\n The vocals are fine \u2013 Harris is an expressive vocalist, and massive overdubs (as on \u201cI’m Leaving\u201d) create a Harris-chorus of sorts. But it’s on the instrumental numbers (such as \u201cYour Love is too Much\u201d) in which the band really gets into the deep groove. While the piano filigree on \u201cDid You Think\u201d is pretty amazing in its speed and complexity, the somewhat maudlin song doesn’t support it well enough. But the instrumental \u201cPut On Train\u201d again bridges that gap between jazz and Curtis Mayfield<\/strong> circa Super Fly<\/em>. \u201cYou Got to Play the Game\u201d aims for a slick Philly soul vibe, and is reasonably successful if a bit unabashedly commercial-sounding for this set.<\/p>\n The alternating on Gene Harris \/ The Three Sounds<\/em> between vocal and instro numbers continues with the fun and groovy \u201cWhat’s the Answer?\u201d (not strictly an instrumental cut, but close enough). But then the group breaks the pattern and serves up another no-word cut, a thrillingly inspired cover of the Beatles<\/strong>‘ \u201cEleanor Rigby.\u201d The album wraps up with \u201cHey Girl,\u201d enlivened by some deft piano work and slick guitar work.<\/p>\n The sonic approach on the 1972 album \u2013 a Harris solo outing \u2013 is quite a bit different: the funk and soul are dialed way back in favor of a more straight jazz approach. \u201cDjango\u201d kicks things off in a much more cocktail-lounge sort of manner. \u201cLean on Me\u201d adds vibes to the arrangement but doesn’t offer a lot not present in Bill Withers<\/strong>‘ original. As a whole the ’72 LP aims for a more subdued approach, one that’s far less funky and more traditional. \u201cA Day in the Life of a Fool (Manha De Carnaval)\u201d veers perilously close to easy listening.<\/p>\n The oft-covered \u201cJohn Brown’s Body\u201d gets a tender piano-centric reading, but sadly it wouldn’t be out of place in an upscale hotel lobby bar. \u201cListen Here\u201d revives the funkiness factor, and is a showcase for Harris’ piano plus some wah-wah guitar work. The brushwork and upright bass on \u201cEmily\u201d support Harris’ gentle and subtle piano work, but again, for fans of the previous disc, this might seem too pretty by half.<\/p>\n