The Three Aounds - Soul Symphony / 180 gram vinyl LP

The return of The Three Sounds to Blue Note in the late-1960s found the trio evolving and expanding their trademark grooving sound: 1968’s Coldwater Flat presented them backed by the Oliver Nelson Orchestra and that same year Elegant Soul marked a first-time teaming with producer Monk Higgins who conjured an expansive sound with the addition of extra instrumentation. On 1969’s Soul Symphony, pianist Gene Harris, bassist Henry Franklin, and drummer Carl Burnett perform music composed, arranged, and conducted by Higgins augmented by woodwinds, brass, and strings including the extended title track, a soul jazz opus of orchestral groove which fills the entirety of Side One. Side Two consists of four shorter individual pieces in the same vein as the Symphony, including the irrepressible “Repeat After Me,” which evokes the call and response of a Baptist minister and their congregation.