Gene Harris - Instant Party (2004)

One of the most accessible of all jazz pianists, Gene Harris' soulful style (influenced by Oscar Peterson and containing the blues-iness of a Junior Mance) was immediately likable and predictably excellent. After playing in an Army band (1951-1954), he formed a trio with bassist Andy Simpkins and drummer Bill Dowdy which was, by 1956, known as the Three Sounds. The group was quite popular, and recorded regularly during 1956-1970 for Blue Note and Verve. Although the personnel changed and the music became more R&B-oriented in the early '70s, Harris retained the Three Sounds name for his later Blue Note sets. He retired to Boise, ID, in 1977, and was largely forgotten when Ray Brown persuaded him to return to the spotlight in the early '80s. Harris worked for a time with the Ray Brown Trio and led his own quartets in the years to follow, recording regularly for Concord and heading the Phillip Morris Superband on a few tours; 1998's Tribute to Count Basie even earned a Grammy nomination. While awaiting a kidney transplant, he died on January 16, 2000, at the age of 66. ~ Scott Yanow

Instant Party is essentially a single-disc best-of compilation featuring some of the more uptempo highlights from pianist Gene Harris' long stay at the Concord Jazz label. Harris recorded for Concord from 1985 until 1999 (he died early in 2000), and his stay amounted to both a revival and a fruitful autumnal capstone to his long career. A fluid and soulful player, Harris brought a hint of the blues to everything he touched, and the selection here is no exception. From the light jazz-funk of the opener, "Old Funky Gene's," to the rapid and seemingly effortless piano runs of "Listen Here," which features the great Ray Brown on bass, Harris develops his own blue version of soul-jazz. Tenor saxophonist Stanley Turrentine joins Harris and Brown on Brown's own "Uptown Sop," one of the clear highlights of the set. Other high points include the tight and controlled groove of Harris' rendition of Lee Morgan's "Sidewinder" and a version of Bobbie Gentry's surprisingly flexible "Ode to Billie Joe."