Customer Reviews

Black & Blue

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Now to many people Gene Harris' style varies - Hard-Bop, Fusion, Soul-Jazz, but no one, and I mean no one can play the "Blues" better than this man. Harris is known to jazz aficionados, and to his peers, as one of the "Greatest Blues Pianists in the World", and his fame is finally catching up with his virtuosity. And critic Joe Morgenstern adds - "I never cease to marvel at the joyous might of Gene Harris' music."

Following this mans career - Gene Harris & The Four Sounds, Gene Harris & The Three Sounds, Gene Harris & the Philip Morris Super Band, Gene Harris All-Star Big Band, Gene Harris Trio and now, the Gene Harris Quartet...all have that driving blues-force we've come to love and enjoy. Harris strived for perfection, always knew exactly who he was and what he was doing in this life. His combination of ineffable delicacy and inexorable power became richer and fuller with each day, like natural sunshine, just keeps shining through.

With gifted accomplices like Ron Eschete (guitar), Luther Hughes (bass) and Harold Jones (drums), Gene sets out free as a bird with arrangements that send you reeling, as the quartet just keeps moving on filling in the gaps, great stirring performances all around.

Of course there are stand outs - "THE BEST THINGS IN LIFE ARE FREE" the whole group swings, swings and then swings some more..."NOBODY KNOWS YOU WHEN YOU'RE DOWN AND OUT", a Jimmy Cox tune brings out some gospel-soul that will lift your spirits, inspirational..."BLUE BOSSA" has the rhythm section working over-time, but Gene knows what needs to be done..."WILL YOU STILL BE MINE", almost ten minutes in length, Harris takes the group into orbit and steers them into a classic performance.

The highlight is - "BLACK AND BLUE", the great "Fats" Waller tune, recorded several times by Louis "Satchmo" Armstrong with clever and impassioned lyrics has become a classic, but listen to this slow-tempo arrangement by Harris, blues pours from a cup of love and understanding, sending a message that is LOUD AND CLEAR.

Total Time: 62:22 on 10 Tracks...Concord Jazz CCD-4482...(1991)

Gene Harris, the swinging, gentle giant has once again put together a wonderful quartet with Ron Eschete on guitar, Luther Hughes on bass and Harold Jones on drums. This group makes me smile when I hear them. Their rendition of "Blue Bossa" should be re-named "Swing Bossa".It's GREAT! If I was only allowed to have a handful of CD's, this would be one of them.

I have 3 other albums by Gene Harris.
Gene was a superb pianist. His choice of harmony and his peculiar technique of chord attack turned him into one of my preferred jazz pianists, along with Oscar Peterson.
I am also a pianist. I know it is very difficult to make an album review. We are not able to transmit all the emotion of such an experience, so that I urge you to listen the tracks.

While awaiting a kidney transplant, Gene Harris died on January 16, 2000, at the age of 66.

I admit it, I'm a huge Gene Harris fan. I'm working on collecting all of his 89 (or so) recordings including the Japanese imports. But, without a doubt, Black and Blue is Gene Harris at his finest. You can put this album on and listen from start to finish and feel great the whole way through. If you could only buy one Gene Harris album, this is it.

I am a big Gene Harris fan. Black and Blue is my favorite, hands down. This one will not disappoint.

Just a great album! Every cut is outstanding, but "Black And Blue" is worth the price alone! You will not be disappointed purchasing this gem!

I've always been an Oscar Peterson fan. What a thrill to discover this disc from Gene Harris. As stated, this is definitely a blues/jazz fusion.
This disc is full of gems. I heard the first track, "Another Star" on the local jazz station. WOW! I had to own this disc. It's full of great renditions like, "CC Rider" and, "It Might As Well Be Spring". And I know I have to buy more from Gene Harris.

That's how my Count Basie obsession began..but, that's another story.

I was driving around downtown Milwaukee in the summer of 1991, accompanied by a good friend, trying to find an exit out of downtown Milwaukee, and we happened to pass a commercial looking CD store; but in the corner of the window was a neon sign that said "Jazz Cellar." Being big jazz fans, we parked the car to check it out. The Jazz Cellar was an all-jazz CD shop in the basement of a more commercial shop. In it was an African-American gentleman smoking a cigar and listening to jazz. My kind of person! My friend and I started looking through the selection of CDs, when we looked at each other in wonderment of what was being played over the sound system. It was some of the most killer Blues and Gospel infested jazz we had ever heard. The pianist was just a-stankin' it up! It was this CD, Gene Harris' Black and Blue. We both asked to buy a copy on the spot, but it hadn't been released to the public yet. Well, we bought some other CDs to patronize the business, but made a point, when we got back home to Illinois, to look for this CD. It is still a staple of my CD listening rotation, over 16 years after I purchased it. I have since collected all of Gene's CDs since his comeback in the 1980s. It is also worth it to check Gene out with the Ray Brown trio. This CD however, is my favorite example of Gene's work.

The song, "Another Star" was originally a disco-styled Stevie Wonder tune from "Songs in the Key of Life," but the way Gene plays it, you'd think it was a swingin' jazz standard. Other notable tunes on the CD are "Black and Blue," in which Gene builds an amazing blues solo at a slow tempo; "Blue Bossa," which is done in a swing feel (I don't think Gene can NOT swing); and the amazing piano solo in "Will You Still Be Mine." Gene's powerful, yet clear-as-a-bell tone can overshadow the rest of the group, but it is worth mentioning that the guitarist, Ron Eschete plays some very tasty stuff too. Drummer Harold Jones and Bassist Luther Hughes don't get many solos, but they lay down a great swing feel. Being a jazz pianist myself, I transcribed Gene's solo on "Will You Still Be Mine." It took months, but I am proud to say that Gene's playing has influenced my own playing in a profound way. Buy this CD. It's a bargain and you'll never get tired of it.