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It was in 2017 that the trio known as 3 More Sounds was formed, a co-op group with former Gene Harris & Three Sounds bassist Henry “Skipper” Franklin and drummer Carl Burnett, along with pianist Robert Turner. With Franklin’s three years with Harris and Burnett’s ten years, they fondly remember how great it was playing with the legendary pianist. The goal of the new ensemble was to “make people happy and to have them tap their foot like Gene did, and to preserve Gene’s style of playing.” The spirit of Gene Harris shines through on their new session celebrating the music another jazz icon, “3 More Sounds Play Ray Charles.”
Caesar Frazier has been appropriately called a renaissance man, one of the last keyboardists of the golden era of what has been called the greatest time for jazz/blues organ. A time when the hard grooves of the organ triumphed as the premier crowd-pleasing instrument all over the world. Frazer has chosen to remain true to this tradition on a new collection of songs that reach back to those days. Recorded at Van Gelder Studios in New Jersey, “Tenacity” also features guitarist Peter Bernstein, sax great Eric Alexander, and drummer Vincent Ector.
Also this week, celebrated pianist and bandleader Joey Alexander unveils his first release of all original music with “Origin”;
Brooklyn-based saxophonist and composer Aaron Bazell conveys the beauty and the struggle of the human experience on his debut, “Aesthetic”;
and Chris Hajian, who has worked as a film composer over the last twenty five years, explores his jazz roots and film aesthetic on “My City, My Story,” highlighted by the work of Chris Potter, John Patitucci, Joe Locke, Eric Harland and other notables.