Gene Harris
Gene Harris (born Eugene Haire, September 1, 1933 – January 16, 2000) was an American jazz pianist known for his warm sound and blues and gospel-infused style, known as soul jazz. From 1956 to 1970, he played in The Three Sounds trio with bassist Andy Simpkins and drummer Bill Dowdy. During this time, The Three Sounds recorded regularly for Blue Note and Verve Records.
Gene Harris
- Name
- Gene Harris
- Birth Name
- Eugene Haire
- Born
- 1 September 1933
- Birthplace
- Benton Harbor, Michigan, U.S.
- Died
- 16 January 2000
- Place of death
- Boise, Idaho, U.S.
- Occupation
- Musician
- Nationality
- United States
- Fields
- jazz · blues · funk · soul jazz
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Documentary evidence
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Authority files
museum · 1dbdc230-fe9c-4d71-b72e-88ba98800167 · wikidata · Q1374734 · wikipedia · Gene Harris
In this article
Biography
Biography
Harris retired to Boise in the late 1970s, but continued to perform regularly at the Idanha Hotel. The double-bassist Ray Brown convinced him to go back on tour in the early 1980s. Harris played with the Ray Brown Trio and then led his own groups, recording mostly on Concord Records, until his death from kidney failure in 2000. The singer Niki Haris is his daughter.
Key facts
Key facts
• Name — Gene Harris • Birth Name — Eugene Haire • Born — 1 September 1933 • Birthplace — Benton Harbor, Michigan, U.S. • Died — 16 January 2000 • Place of death — Boise, Idaho, U.S. • Genre — Jazz, blues, soul jazz • Occupation — Musician • Instrument — Piano, keyboards, Hammond B3 • Years Active — 1955–2000 • Label — Blue Note, Concord Jazz • Associated Acts — The Three Sounds, Ray Brown, The Philip Morris Super Band, Niki Haris • Website — https: www.boisestate.edu/geneharris/
As leader/co-leader
As leader/co-leader
• Year recorded — Title — Label — Year released — Personnel/Notes • 1958 — Introducing the 3 Sounds — Blue Note — 1959 — With The Three Sounds: Andy Simpkins (bass), Bill Dowdy (drums) • 1958– 1959 — Bottoms Up! — Blue Note — 1959 — With The Three Sounds: Andy Simpkins (bass), Bill Dowdy (drums) • 1959 — LD + 3 — Blue Note — 1959 — With The Three Sounds: Andy Simpkins (bass), Bill Dowdy (drums); plus Lou Donaldson (alto sax) • 1959 — Good Deal — Blue Note — 1960 — With The Three Sounds: Andy Simpkins (bass), Bill Dowdy (drums) • 1960 — Blue Hour — Blue Note — 1961 — With The Three Sounds: Andy Simpkins (bass), Bill Dowdy (drums); plus Stanley Turrentine (tenor sax) • 1960 — Moods — Blue Note — 1961 — With The Three Sounds: Andy Simpkins (bass), Bill Dowdy (drums) • 1960 — Feelin' Good — Blue Note — 1961 — With The Three Sounds: Andy Simpkins (bass), Bill Dowdy (drums) • 1960 — Here We Come — Blue Note — 1962 — With The Three Sounds: Andy Simpkins (bass), Bill Dowdy (drums) • 1960 — It Just Got to Be — Blue Note — 1963 — With The Three Sounds: Andy Simpkins (bass), Bill Dowdy (drums) • 1961 — Hey There — Blue Note — 1962 — With The Three Sounds: Andy Simpkins (bass), Bill Dowdy (drums) • 1961– 1962 — Babe's Blues — Blue Note — 1986 — With The Three Sounds: Andy Simpkins (bass), Bill Dowdy (drums) • 1962 — Out of This World — Blue Note — 1966 — With The Three Sounds: Andy Simpkins (bass), Bill Dowdy (drums) • 1962 — Black Orchid — Blue Note — 1964 — With The Three Sounds: Andy Simpkins (bass), Bill Dowdy (drums) • 1959, 1962 — Standards — Blue Note — 1998 — With The Three Sounds: Andy Simpkins (bass), Bill Dowdy (drums) • 1962 — Blue Genes — Verve — 1963 — With The Three Sounds: Andy Simpkins (bass), Bill Dowdy (drums) • 1962 — Anita O'Day & the Three Sounds — Verve — 1963 — With The Three Sounds: Andy Simpkins (bass), Bill Dowdy (drums); plus Anita O'Day (vocals) • 1962 — The Three Sounds Play Jazz on Broadway — Mercury — 1963 — With The Three Sounds: Andy Simpkins (bass), Bill Dowdy (drums) • 1963 — Some Like It Modern — Mercury — 1963 — With The Three Sounds: Andy Simpkins (bass), Bill Dowdy (drums) • 1964 — Live at the Living Room — Mercury — 1964 — With The Three Sounds: Andy Simpkins (bass), Bill Dowdy (drums); in concert • 1965 — Three Moods — Limelight — 1965 — With The Three Sounds: Andy Simpkins (bass), Bill Dowdy (drums); plus some tracks with trombones added and some with strings added, all arranged by Julian Lee • 1965 — Beautiful Friendship — Limelight — 1965 — With The Three Sounds: Andy Simpkins (bass), Bill Dowdy (drums); plus some tracks with horns or strings arranged by Julian Lee • 1966 — Today's Sounds — Limelight — 1966 — With The Three Sounds: Andy Simpkins (bass), Kalil Madi (drums); in concert • 1966 — Vibrations — Blue Note — 1967 — With The Three Sounds: Andy Simpkins (bass), Kalil Madi (drums) • 1967 — Live at The Lighthouse — Blue Note — 1967 — With The Three Sounds: Andy Simpkins (bass), Donald Bailey (drums); in concert • 1968 — Coldwater Flat — Blue Note — 1968 — With The Three Sounds: Andy Simpkins (bass), Donald Bailey (drums); plus Oliver Nelson Orchestra • 1968 — Elegant Soul — Blue Note — 1968 — With The Three Sounds: Andy Simpkins (bass), Carl Burnett (drums); plus orchestra • 1969 — Soul Symphony — Blue Note — 1969 — With The Three Sounds: Henry Franklin (bass), Carl Burnett (drums); plus orchestra • 1970 — Live at the 'It Club — Blue Note — 1996 — With The Three Sounds: Henry Franklin (bass), Carl Burnett (drums); in concert • 1970 — Live at the 'It Club' Volume 2 — Blue Note — 2000 — With The Three Sounds: Henry Franklin (bass), Carl Burnett (drums); in concert • 1971 — The 3 Sounds — Blue Note — 1971 — With Monk Higgins (organ), Fred Robinson and Albert Vescovo (guitar), Luther Hughes (electric bass), Carl Burnett (drums), Bobbye Porter Hall (conga), Paul Humphrey (percussion); plus unknown (vocals) • 1972 — Gene Harris of the Three Sounds — Blue Note — 1972 — With Sam Brown and Cornell Dupree (guitar), Ron Carter (bass), Freddie Waits (drums), Johnny Rodriguez (conga), Omar Clay (percussion, vibes) • 1973 — Yesterday, Today & Tomorrow — Blue Note — 1973 — Trio, with Johnny Hatton (bass, electric bass), Carl Burnett (drums, percussion) • 1974 — Astral Signal — Blue Note — 1975 — With various personnel (see listing's page) • 1975 — Nexus — Blue Note — 1975 — With various personnel (see listing's page) • 1976 — In a Special Way — Blue Note — 1976 — With various personnel (see listing's page) • 1977 — Tone Tantrum — Blue Note — 1977 — With various personnel (see listing's page) • 1981 — Live at Otter Crest — Jazzizz; Bosco; Concord — 1981 — Trio, with John Heard (bass), Jimmie Smith (drums); in concert • 1982 — Hot Lips — JAM — 1982 — Quartet, with Ron Escheté (guitar), John Heard (bass), Jimmie Smith (drums) • 1984? — Nature's Way — JAM — 1984 — Quartet, with Ron Escheté (guitar), Luther Hughes (bass), Paul Humphrey (drums) • 1985 — The Gene Harris Trio Plus One — Concord — 1986 — Quartet, with Ray Brown (bass), Mickey Roker (drums), plus Stanley Turrentine (tenor sax); in concert • 1987 — Tribute to Count Basie — Concord — 1988 — With big band (Gene Harris All Star Big Band) • 1989? — Listen Here! — Concord — 1989 — Quartet, with Ron Escheté (guitar), Ray Brown (bass), Jeff Hamilton (drums) • 1989 — Live at Town Hall, N.Y.C. — Concord — 1989 — With big band (Philip Morris Superband); in concert • 1990 — At Last with Scott Hamilton — Concord — 1990 — Quintet, with Scott Hamilton (tenor sax), Herb Ellis (guitar), Ray Brown (bass), Harold Jones (drums) • 1990 — World Tour 1990 — Concord — 1991 — With big band (Philip Morris Superband); in concert • 1991 — Black and Blue — Concord — 1991 — Quartet, with Ron Escheté (guitar), Luther Hughes (bass), Harold Jones (drums) • 1992 — Like a Lover — Concord — 1992 — Quartet, with Ron Escheté (guitar), Luther Hughes (bass), Harold Jones (drums) • 1992 — Gene Harris at Maybeck — Concord — 1993 — Solo piano; in concert • 1992 — Brotherhood — Concord — 1995 — Quartet, with Ron Escheté (guitar), Luther Hughes (bass), Paul Humphrey (drums) • 1993? — A Little Piece of Heaven — Concord — 1993 — Quartet, with Ron Escheté (guitar), Luther Hughes (bass), Paul Humphrey (drums); in concert • 1994? — Funky Gene's — Concord — 1994 — Quartet, with Ron Escheté (guitar), Luther Hughes (bass), Paul Humphrey (drums) • 1995 — It's the Real Soul — Concord — 1996 — Quintet, with Ron Escheté (guitar), Luther Hughes (bass), Paul Humphrey (drums), plus Frank Wess (tenor sax, flute); in concert • 1996? — In His Hands — Concord — 1997 — With Jack McDuff (organ), Ron Escheté (guitar), Luther Hughes (bass), Paul Humphrey (drums); plus Niki Haris and Curtis Stigers (vocals) • 1996? — Down Home Blues — Concord — 1997 — With Jack McDuff (organ), Ron Escheté (guitar), Luther Hughes (bass), Paul Humphrey (drums); plus Niki Haris and Curtis Stigers (vocals) • 1996 — Live in London — Resonance — 2008 — Quartet, with Jim Mullen (guitar), Andrew Cleyndert (bass), Martin Drew (drums); in concert • 1996 — Another Night in London — Resonance — 2010 — Quartet, with Jim Mullen (guitar), Andrew Cleyndert (bass), Martin Drew (drums); in concert • 1998? — Live with The Philip Morris All-Stars — Concord — 1998 — With Sweets Edison (trumpet), Stanley Turrentine (tenor sax), Kenny Burrell (guitar); plus Ernie Andrews (vocals) • 1998 — Alley Cats — Concord — 1999 — With Ernie Watts (tenor sax, alto sax), Red Holloway (tenor sax), Jack McDuff (organ), Frank Potenza (guitar), Luther Hughes (bass), Paul Kreibich (drums); plus Niki Haris (vocals); in concert Compilations • The Best of The Three Sounds (with The Three Sounds) (Blue Note, 1993) • Gene Harris: The Concord Jazz Heritage Series (Concord, 1998) • The Blue Note Years (with The Three Sounds) (Blue Note, 1999) • Gene Harris: The Best of the Concord Years (Concord, 2000)[2CD] • The Complete Blue Hour Sessions (The Three Sounds with Stanley Turrentine) (Blue Note, 2000)[2CD] • Big Band Soul (with the Gene Harris Superband) (Concord, 2002)[2CD] – contains Live At Town Hall, N.Y.C. + World Tour 1990 • Swingin' the Blues (Recall, 2002)[2CD] • Ballad Essentials (Concord, 2003) • Live From New York To Tokyo (with the Ray Brown Trio) (Concord, 2003)[2CD] – live contains The Red Hot Ray Brown Trio + Bam Bam Bam • Instant Party (Concord, 2004)
As a member
As a member
• The Blue Note All-Stars, Blue Note Live at The Roxy (Blue Note, 1976) – live • Concord Jazz All Stars, The 20th Concord Festival All-Stars (Concord, 1988)
As sideman
As sideman
With The Ray Brown Trio • Soular Energy (Concord, 1985) – rec. 1984 • Don't Forget the Blues (Concord, 1986) • The Red Hot Ray Brown Trio (Concord, 1987) – live rec. 1985 at the Blue Note • Bam Bam Bam (Concord, 1989) – live at the Fujitsu-Concord Jazz Festival • Black Orpheus (Evidence, 1989) • Mr. Blue (Denon, 1989) – also with Takashi Ohi • Summer Wind: Live at The Loa (Concord, 1990) – live rec. 1988 • Moore Makes 4 (Concord, 1990) – also with Ralph Moore • Three Dimensional (Concord, 1991) • Georgia on My Mind (All Art [Japan], 1991) With others • Nat Adderley, Branching Out (Riverside, 1958) • James Clay, A Double Dose of Soul (Riverside, 1960) • Melvin Rhyne, Organ-izing (Jazzland, 1960) • various artists, 'S Wonderful: Concord Jazz Salutes Ira Gershwin (Concord, 1979) • Milt Jackson Quartet, Soul Route (Pablo, 1984) – rec. 1983 • Ernestine Anderson, When the Sun Goes Down (Concord, 1984) • Benny Carter, A Gentleman and His Music (Concord, 1985) • Junko Mine, Love Me Tender (All Art [Japan], 1986) • B.B. King, Live at The Apollo (GRP, 1990) – live • various artists, Concord Jazz Festival: Live 1990 (Concord, 1990) – live • various artists, Concord Jazz Festival: Live 1990, Third Set (Concord, 1990) – live • various artists, A Concord Jazz Christmas (Concord, 1991) • various artists, Jazz Celebration: Tribute to Carl Jefferson (Concord, 1992) • various artists, Fujitsu-Concord 25th Jazz Festival (Concord, 1993) • various artists, Fujitsu-Concord 26th Jazz Festival (Concord, 1994) • Mary Stallings, I Waited for You (Concord, 1994) • Frank Wess, It's the Real Soul (Concord, 1996) • Jack McDuff, Down Home Blues (Concord, 1997) • Niki Haris, Dreaming A Dream (BMG, 1997) • Marian McPartland, Just Friends (Concord, 1998)
Life and career
Dated record
Life and career
The full dated record · 1 entries
2000
Gene Harris died at Boise.
Places
Named by the record
Places
Only places the record itself states, plotted where the house gazetteer settles their coordinates. Nothing is inferred from a name or a nationality.
US.
Country
Benton Harbor.
Birth place
Boise.
Death place
Primary material
Documents and archives
reference work
- “Gene Harris”, English Wikipedia, consulted as further reading
Reputable secondary · Wikipedia
- Wikidata, structured authority record Q1374734: Gene Harris
Reputable secondary · Wikidata
scholarly publication
- An Analysis of the Improvisational Techniques of Gene Harris, Boise State ScholarWorks
Scholarly · Crossref registry
Institutional database
- MusicBrainz artist record for Gene Harris
Scholarly · MetaBrainz Foundation
Honors
• The Gene Harris bandshell in Boise's Ann Morrison park is named in his honor. • The Gene Harris Jazz Festival is an annual event in Boise that brings together the best of Boise jazz and education in memory of the city's most famous jazz musician.
Literature
Literature
Literature
Harris, Gene, African American Studies Center, 2013
Harris, Gene, Oxford Music Online, 2003
Scholarly footprint
Literature
Scholarly footprint
A count of publications is evidence of attention, not of standing, and is given here only as a measure.
Text attribution
Licensing
Text attribution
Part of the biographical narrative on this page reuses licensed material. Its origin, revision and licence are recorded here.
The biographical narrative on this page is based on the Wikipedia article Gene Harris, revision 1373517212 (EN edition), by its contributors. VALÉORINE has edited that text and built its own documentary record around it. The reused material is available under CC BY-SA 4.0, and this page's reuse of it is offered under the same licence. Everything else on this page — the chronology, the holdings, the evidence, the plates and the connections — is VALÉORINE's own record. Sources and licences.
References
Citations
References
Each reference names the institution holding it, so a reader may go to the document itself.
scholarly publication
An Analysis of the Improvisational Techniques of Gene Harris, Boise State ScholarWorksCrossref registry
Institutional witnessInstitutional database
MusicBrainz artist record for Gene HarrisMetaBrainz Foundation
Institutional witnessreference work
Secondary witnessreference work
Secondary witness
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 14 August 2026.
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