Back in January of 2020 I was having dinner at a small restaurant (Backstreet Bistro) in Palm Desert California and ran into the legendary Jazz Bass player, Henry "The Skipper" Franklin who was playing in a quartet there. I knew this night would be filled with wonderful Jazz, and it was. Henry has played with the "Who's Who" of Jazz and I have been fortunate to hear him play with many of the top Jazz performers in the California desert. He is a real pro and no matter who he is playing with, he always seems to bring the group to a higher level and that's high praise for a Bass player. But Henry is not just a Bass player, he is a high-level master Bass player and Producer. In a conversation during one of the breaks, Henry told me about a new CD that he just finished and wanted to get my opinion. Well, the CD was by 3 More Sounds titled the "Ghetto Princes, A Tribute to Gene Harris". I was knocked out by the music on this CD and published a review on my blog on March 20, 2020. If you missed this review, you can go to my list of published blogs and read the review.
Last month Henry Franklin sent me a new CD from 3 More Sounds titled "Live at the Gardenia Club" that he co-produced with sensational piano player, Robert Turner. The Gardenia Club is a famous Jazz supper club in East Hollywood that, like most Jazz supper clubs is somewhat past its prime. Robert chose this venue because he liked the Piano at the Gardenia Club. It is not unusual for a Jazz Piano player to find themselves every night playing on Pianos that are less than optimum so when they find a great piano it calls to them! I had the pleasure of hearing Robert Turner play in person many times at various club-venues in the Palm Spring California area. He is everything you would expect and desire from a Jazz piano player. His personality is sparkling and he never hesitates to talk about Jazz Piano with piano-playing amateurs sharing his approach to Jazz piano. He was greatly influenced by many of the great Jazz piano pianists of the past including one of my personal favorites, Gene Harris. When he plays I can hear parts of all of the great Piano Players of past years mixed into his own personal style. This CD is live at the Gardenia Club and when you listen to the cuts I have attached below, you will feel the emotion generating from the audience and the performers. The third member of this group is Carl Burnett who also has a very impressive resume. Carl is the perfect third member of this trio because he swings hard with a perfect groove that completes this group.
3 More Sounds live at the Gardenia Club is a CD that every Jazz lover should have. It's real Jazz played by three of the very best American Jazz musicians performing today. It would make a wonderful present for any Jazz lover you know including yourself.
I have attached two "YouTubes" from this new CD. The first is the group's up-tempo version of the standard "On A Clear Day". This cut will answer all questions about how good these three Jazz performers are! Robert Turner just keeps surprising us with his spectacular Jazz Piano skills, Henry Franklin performs creative and tasty Bass work that explains why he has played with almost all of the Jazz greats and Carl Burnett gives the group a driving beat that's perfect for his two amazing Jazz performing partners. I spent a lot of time picking the second cut because every song on this CD is wonderful. I finally decided to share "Green Dolphin Street". Enjoy the 3 More Sounds, this is what real Jazz is all about!
"On A Clear Day"
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