BST 84341

The Three Sounds - Soul Symphony

Released - 1969

Recording and Session Information

Liberty Studios, Hollywood, CA, August 26, 1969
Gene Harris, piano; Henry Franklin, bass; Carl Burnett, drums; with David Duke, French horn; Buddy Collette, flute, alto flute; Fred Robinson, guitar; Alan Estes, percussion; unidentified strings, led by Sid Sharp, Monk Higgins, composer, arranger, conductor.

5087 Repeat After Me
5088 Upper Four Hundred
5089 Popsicle Pimp
5090 Black Sugar

Liberty Studios, Hollywood, CA, August 28, 1969
Gene Harris, piano; Henry Franklin, bass; Carl Burnett, drums; with David Duke, Art Maebe, French horn; Buddy Collette, flute, alto flute; Fred Robinson, guitar; Alan Estes, percussion; unidentified strings, led by James Getzoff, Monk Higgins, composer, arranger, conductor; + overdubs: Specialties Unlimited: Alex Brown, Mamie Galore, Clydie King, backing vocals.

5086 Soul Symphony

Track Listing

Side One
Title	Author	Recording Date
Soul Symphony	Monk Higgins	August 28 1968
Side Two
Repeat After Me	Monk Higgins	August 26 1968
Upper Four Hundred	Dee Ervin, Higgins	August 26 1968
Popsicle Pimp	Dee Ervin, Higgins	August 26 1968
Black Sugar	Dee Ervin, Higgins	August 26 1968

Liner Notes

The effective fusion of "popular" and "classical" musical forms has fascinated composers for years. Whether it be a classicist's adaptation of rustic dance forms, Carl Orff's reworking of medieval secular songs, or the present engrossment of such contemporary rock groups as The Nice or Jethro Tull with classical concepts, there have been musicians trying - with varying degrees of success — to make the twain meet.

In jazz, of course, the earliest major work was Gershwin's "Rhapsody in Blue, orchestrated by Ferdé Grafé. The cross-pollination continued, with the notable collaboration between Igor Stravinsky and Woody Herman. Their "Ebony Concerto" was first performed in 1946, Toward the end of the fifties, the Modern Jazz John Lewis and American composer Gunther Schuller developed a form of "Third Stream" music, theoretically centered somewhere between contemporary classical music and avant-garde jazz. In 1960, the album Jazz Abstractions was released on Atlantic, featuring works by Lewis, SchUller, and Jim Hall, plus a Schuller adaptation of a Thelonious Monk theme. The musicians involved included such virtuosi as Ornette Coleman, Hall, Scott LaFaro, Eric Dolphy, and the Contemporary String Quartet.

Stan Kenton's Neophonic Orchestra specially commissioned works in the jazz-classic idiom through the Sixties, and a few other attempts at synthesis were tried. None were wholly successful.

The present album brings you a modern look at jazz, through classical eyes. Or is it "the classics, through jazz eyes"? In any case, the orientation of composer and performers is somewhat different than has been true in years past, and the result may surprise you.

"Soul Symphony" is the first extended composition of this type to be recorded by Gene Harris and the Three Sounds. It is also the first major work of Monk Higgins. Both the composer and the trio, however, have been deeply involved in the music business for many years.

Higgins, who composed the "Symphony" as well as having orchestrated and produced the album, started his musical career in high school, where he played tuba. Moving with his family to Chicago, he entered that city's Musical College, where he studied trombone with Bill Russo. A scholarship took Monk to Arkansas State, where he majored in theory and orchestration. For several years following, he taught school in Missouri and then back in Chicago.

It was not too long before Monk discovered that the money he was making moonlighting on Chicago recording sessions was more than his pay as a teacher. He accepted a staff job with One-Derful Records, and his first record there was McKinley Mitchell's The Town I Live In - a national hit. Later moving to Chess, Monk worked with Howling Wolf, Tommy Tucker, Muddy Waters, and Etta James. He flew to Los Angeles, originally to produce Nina Simone, but stayed on to record Blue Mitchell, Stanley Turrentine, and the Three Sounds.

Gene Harris, leader of the Sounds, has more than 30 albums to his credit on the Verve, Mercury Limelight, Riverside, and Blue Note labels. He is a self-taught musician; when asked about formal training he chuckles "I started playing piano when I was four, and just kept on: In the 82nd Airborne Division band, Gene learned to read music. According to Higgins. *Gene doesn't know his own strength, or what he can do with a tune. live seen him take mediocre material and when he finished with it, it was really something. Even a person who doesn't like jazz can like Gene."

Cal Burnett, Sounds drummer, came to the group after three years with Cal Tjader. He plays vibes, drums, and all other percussion. Gene comments that Burnett's playing is very dynamic, and keeps it interesting on the bandstand."

The newest sound is Henry Franklin, who spent three or four years with the Hugh Masakela band, playing on the hit "Grazing in the Grass." Gene characterises Henry as "...the comedian in the group. Even though he doesn't show it on the bandstand, because he's so wrapped up in his bass. But on the road, he's a great practical joker."

The most recent collaboration between the Three Sounds and Monk Higgins was on the group's Elegant Soul album. It was after recording those selections that Higgins proposed the "Symphony" to Harris.

"I first started working on Soul Symphony when I was in college: Monk recalls, "My theory teacher, Miss Perry, wanted a composition. She liked what I submitted, and showed it to my professor of orchestration, John Williams. He had me arrange it, which I did and got a good mark. As time passed, every so often I'd go over the piece and fool with it.

"About 1966, I decided to write a major composition, and was debating whether to put it in sonata form or whatever. But a sonata would be three movements and I had more than that, so I decided to extend it into a symphony I originally wanted to perform it myself, but then didn't figure that I could do it justice, When I met Gene I decoded that the composition would be right for him.

"Actually, Gene is the reason that Soul Symphony wound up in its present form. It was originally written to have solos taken by various instruments; but I reworked it so that the solos would all be taken on piano. I showed the piece to my associate Alex Brown, leader of the Specialties Unlimited. She liked it, and then I wrote out the whole score before presenting it to Gene."

Gene comments, "Because it was so long, didn't know how to react. But when explained to me how he was going to keep it moving through different moods, I thought it was a gassy idea. The listener can't get bored, because it keeps moving. I think it's a great piece of music."

When Black people come to the city, they refer to the place that they come from as Down Horne." This section carries the longings people sometimes get to return to their home town. A ballad follows, "Non-Violent Love," the final theme of the first side is "Standing on the Corner," "Popsicle Pimp," explains Monk, "is a guy who's not working, but always has something going, hustling in the street. He's not big-timer with a house or anything. He/s like a popsicle melting away after a little while. He'll con a couple of people, get all he can from then and disappear.

"Black Sugar" wasn't originally intended to be part of the Symphony but Gene likes the piece; it fits the mood, and was so included.

"Repeat after Me" deals with the call and response a Baptist minister and his congregation.

"Upper Four Hundred" is the only selection on this album not written by Monk Higgins. It was composed by his associate, Dee Irwin "Dee's piece was written separately and he wanted me to present it to Gene. It's a classy number, so when we decided to include it in the Symphony we gave it a name to represent the higher elements of Negro society; the doctors, lawyers and silkstocking crowd - the "Upper Four Hundred."

"Soul Symphony" was recorded in three sessions$ during the month of August 1969 at liberty/UA Studios in Hollywood. In addition to the Three Sounds, the orchestra included Buddy Colette on woodwinds, David Duke on French horn, Freddie Robinson on guitar, percussionist Alan Estes, and a string section under the direction of Sid Sharp, Also assisting are the Specialties Unlimited vocal group of Alex Brown, Clydie King, and Mamie Galore. Soul Symphony was recorded live with the vocal sections the only overdubbings.

Asked to sum up his feelings toward Soul Symphony, Gene Harris said "This is our first attempt at this sort of thing and I hope that its good for Monk because I really admire what he's doing. We have a great mutual respect and understanding. I enjoy the feeling he puts into his music, and he appreciates what I'm doing."

And Monk's opinion? "I think it turned out pretty well."