Gene Harris

Pianist Gene Harris had a warm, earthy, bluesy approach to jazz piano that fit right in with the soul jazz scene and was popular beyond it. Based in the style of Oscar Peterson but favoring the bluesy fervor of Junior Mance and Bobby Timmons, Harris led the highly successful trio the Three Sounds up until the beginning of the ‘70s. He then retired from music until the bassist Ray Brown convinced him to join his own trio in the early ‘80s. Though he died in 2000, Harris possessed a genial yet substantial style that continues to transcend eras and trends.