The Gene Harris & Scott Hamitlon Quintet At Last (1990 2004)

This matchup by pianist Gene Harris and tenor saxophonist Scott Hamilton, in a quintet that also includes guitarist Herb Ellis, bassist Ray Brown, and drummer Harold Jones, is fun although it does not reach the excitement level one might expect. The ballads work best, while the stomps never really catch fire or explode. Harris and Hamilton always play at a high level, but their collaboration falls short of being the expected classic despite some good moments.

Although often associated with the blues, only one of the ten selections on this quartet set by pianist Gene Harris (who is joined by guitarist Ron Eschete, bassist Ray Brown, and drummer Jeff Hamilton) is technically a blues. On this excellent all-around showcase for the soulful pianist, Harris sounds in prime form exploring such tunes as "This Masquerade," "Don't Be That Way," Eddie Harris' "Listen Here," and "The Song Is Ended." Listen Here! gives listeners a pretty definitive look at Gene Harris' accessible and swinging style.

This superb album solidified pianist Gene Harris' return to the jazz major leagues. Teamed up with bassist Ray Brown, drummer Mickey Roker, and tenor saxophonist Stanley Turrentine, Harris stretches out on such songs as Ray Brown's blues "Gene's Lament," "Things Ain't What They Used to Be," "Yours Is My Heart Alone," and "Battle Hymn of the Republic." Harris and Turrentine work together so well on this soulful blues/bop date that one wishes they had teamed up much more often.

The vast majority of Gene Harris' Concord albums of the '80s and '90s were small-group efforts, which is probably just as well because the acoustic pianist had more room to stretch out and improvise when he was leading a trio, quartet, or quintet. But Harris did have a chance to oversee a big band when he led the Philip Morris Superband in the late '80s and early '90s. In 2001, Concord reissued Harris' two albums with the Superband - Live at Town Hall, N.Y.C. and World Tour 1990 - as the double-CD Big Band Soul. While Live at Town Hall, N.Y.C. was recorded at a New York concert in 1989, World Tour 1990 was recorded in a Sydney, Australia, studio the following year. Despite the fact that one is a live album and the other is a studio date, the albums are quite similar…

In 2001, Concord Jazz described Live at Otter Crest as a "never-before-released live recording." But, in fact, this CD is actually a reissue of an obscure, little-known LP that originally came out on the Bosco label. When Live at Otter Crest was recorded at an Oregon gig on April 24, 1981, Gene Harris was in semi-retirement - he was still performing, but not very often. And it wasn't until 1985 that the pianist's very productive association with Concord would begin. Because Harris had recorded some overproduced commercial projects in the late '70s, bop's hardcore was calling him a sellout. But on Live at Otter Crest, a 47-year-old Harris is hell-bent for straight-ahead, hard-swinging jazz - funky and earthy, yes, but definitely straight-ahead…