Jazz

Gene Ammons - Bad! Bossa Nova (1962)

2011-02-21T09:22:02Z

Gene Ammons - Bad! Bossa Nova (1962)


1. Pagan Love Song (Nacio Herb Brown/Arthur Freed) 4:47 
2. Ca'purange (Jungle Soul) (Mussapere) 9:36 
3. Anna (Vatro/Giordano/Engvick) 3:22                     play
4. Caé Caé (Roberto Martins/Berrios/Latouche) 3:47 
5. Moito Mato Grosso (Gene Ammons) 7:45 
6. Yellow Bird (Alan Bergman/Michael Keith/Norman Luboff) 5:05 

Personnel:
Gene Ammons (Tenor Saxophone) 
Bucky Pizzarelli (Spanish Guitar) 
Kenny Burrell (Rhythm Guitar) 
Hank Jones (Piano) 
Norman Edge (Double Bass) 
Oliver Jackson (Drums) 
Al Hayes (Bongo)

"This was Ammons' final recording before 'being made an example of' and getting a lengthy jail sentence for possession of heroin; his next record would be cut over seven years later. The music is surprisingly upbeat, with Ammons joined by two guitars (Bucky Pizzarelli and Kenny Burrell), a fine rhythm section (pianist Hank Jones, bassist Norman Edge, and drummer Oliver Jackson), and the bongos of Al Hayes for a set of Latin-flavored jazz that was masquerading as bossa nova. The music is offbeat if not all that memorable, a decent effort but not essential." – Scott Yanow

Gene Ammons does not showcase a lot of fireworks on this album, in fact, his soul-jazz style playing here is a little bland at times, but the songs are so catchy and the groove is dead-on all the way through that it ends up being a nice record after all. "Anna" has a rollicking pop start to it, thanks to the acoustic guitars of Bucky Pizzarelli and Kenny Burrell. Hank Jones sets the slinky tone on "Moito Mato Grosso," and Al Hayes' bongo playing throughout makes "Bad! Bossa Nova" a lot of fun, even if it's more of a latin/soul fusion than a true bossa nova album. It's clear they were tying to cash in on the craze of the time, and Ammons served a 5 year jail sentence for heroin possession not long after this was recorded, but still and all it is a record worth picking up. –Jonathan J. Casey

Eugene "Jug" Ammons (April 14, 1925 – July 23, 1974) also known as "The Boss," was an American jazz tenor saxophonist, and the son of boogie-woogie pianist Albert Ammons. Ammons began to gain recognition when he went on the road with trumpeter King Kolax band in 1943, at the age of 18. He became a member of the Billy Eckstine and Woody Herman bands in 1944 and 1949 respectively,[1] and then in 1950 formed a duet with Sonny Stitt. His later career was interrupted by two prison sentences for narcotics possession, the first from 1958 to 1960, the second from 1962 to 1969. He recorded as a leader for Mercury (1947-1949), Aristocrat (1948-1950) and Chess (1950-1951), Prestige (1950-1952), Decca (1952), and United (1952-1953). For the rest of his career, he was affiliated with Prestige.

Ammons and Von Freeman were the founders of the Chicago School of tenor saxophone. His style of playing showed influences from Lester Young as well as Ben Webster. These artists had helped develop the sound of the tenor saxophone to higher levels of expressiveness. Ammons, together with Dexter Gordon and Sonny Stitt, helped integrate their developments with the emerging "vernacular" of the bebop movement, and the chromaticism and rhythmic variety of Charlie Parker is evident in his playing. While adept at the technical aspects of bebop, in particular its love of harmonic substitutions, Ammons more than Young, Webster or Parker, stayed in touch with the commercial blues and R&B of his day. For example, in 1950 the saxophonist's recording of "My Foolish Heart" made Billboard Magazine's black pop charts.[2] "The "soul Jazz" movement of the mid-1960s, often using the combination of tenor saxophone and Hammond B3 electric organ, counts him as a founder. Often using a thinner, drier tone than Stitt or Gordon, Ammons could at will exploit a vast range of textures on the instrument, vocalizing it in ways that look forward to later artists like Stanley Turrentine, Houston Person, and remarkably Archie Shepp. Ammons showed little interest, however, in the modal jazz of John Coltrane, Joe Henderson or Wayne Shorter that was emerging at the same time.

Some fine ballad performances in his oeuvre are testament to an exceptional sense of intonation and melodic symmetry, powerful lyrical expressiveness, and mastery both of the blues and the bebop vernacular which can now be described as, in its own way, "classical." "Answer Me, My Love" written by Fred Rauch, Carl Sigman and Gerhard Winkler, performed by Gene Ammons is featured on the soundtrack for Romance & Cigarettes (2005). Equipment: "Jug" played on a Bb Conn 10M Tenor Saxophone and a Brilhart Ebolin mouthpiece. Ammons is considered a major influence on the style of popular jazz tenor saxophonist Joshua Redman.

Ammons died in 1974, at the age of 49, after a battle with cancer.

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Gene Ammons - Boss Tenor (1960/2016)

2016-08-10T12:30:47Z

Gene Ammons - Boss Tenor (1960/2016)


01. Hittin' The Jug (8:31)
02. Close Your Eyes (3:46)
03. My Romance (4:16)
04. Canadian Sunset (5:25)
05. Blue Ammons (4:58)
06. Confirmation (5:25)
07. Savoy (3:33)

Gene Ammons - tenor saxophone
Tommy Flanagan - piano
Doug Watkins - bass
Art Taylor - drums
Ray Barretto – congas

The great tenor saxophonist Gene Ammons was of the generation of swing-era players that easily adapted to bop. But though he was a modernist, Ammons maintained that breathy, old-school romantic approach to the tenor. Boss Tenor, a quintet session from 1960, is one of Ammons' very best albums. Ray Barretto's congas subtly add a bit of Latin spice, but otherwise this is a collection of standards rendered with a gorgeous late-night bluesy feel. Accompaniment by Tommy Flanagan, one of the best mainstream pianists ever, certainly doesn't hurt, either. A gem. --- Mark Keresman, Rovi

For nearly a quarter-century, beginning in 1950, tenor saxophonist Gene Ammons (1925-1974) was among the brightest stars in the Prestige Records firmament. Whether leading, or partaking in, one of Prestige’s jam sessions, immersing himself in the organ-dominated blues and gospel grooves that in the 1950s came to be called “soul jazz,” or digging deep for heart-rending ballads, Ammons was multiply masterful. And in 1960, leading a quintet featuring the impeccable pianist Tommy Flanagan, plus Ray Barretto’s piquant congas, he produced the insuperable Boss Tenor.

From the blues that drips from “Hittin’ the Jug” and “Blue Ammons” to the infectious medium bounce of the standards “Close Your Eyes” and “Canadian Sunset,” and from the sophisticated swing of “Stompin’ at the Savoy” to the finger-poppin’ bop of “Confirmation” and the after-hours balladry of “My Romance,” Boss Tenor has something for everyone claiming to be a fan of modern jazz. --- store.acousticsounds.com

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Gene Ammons - Gene Ammons and Friends at Montreux (1973)

2016-07-06T14:04:54Z

Gene Ammons - Gene Ammons and Friends at Montreux (1973)


1.Yardbird Suite
2.Since I Fell For You
3.New Sonny's Blues
4.Sophisticated Lady
5.Treux Bleu

Gene Ammons, Dexter Gordon — tenor saxophone
Cannonball Adderley — alto saxophone
Nat Adderley — trumpet
Hampton Hawes — electric piano
Bob Cranshaw — electric bass
Kenny Clarke — drums
Kenneth Nash — congas

This set was recorded in 1973 at the Montreux Jazz Festival. Ammons, who had been working regularly for about four years at this time, sadly died a year later. In this final period of his career, he enthusiastically embraced modern changes in the jazz landscape, working with younger players and electric instruments. AT MONTREUX finds Ammons in the company of Hampton Hawes on electric piano, Bob Cranshaw on electric bass, drummer Kenny Clarke, and conga player Kenneth Nash.

For Ammons' own tune, the 16-minute "'Treux Bleu," the combo is expanded with Nat and Cannonball Adderly and Dexter Gordon. While much continued and deserved high regard comes from Ammons' strength as a balladeer, it's riveting to hear him fronting a straight-ahead, swinging, post-bebop ensemble. That's not to say that he can't slow things down. Two numbers (Buddy Johnson's "Since I Fell for You" and Duke Ellington's "Sophisticated Lady") glide into the smoky grooves of late-night romance. ---apoloybaco.com

Ammons, whose studio recordings of the period were somewhat commercial, is heard in excellent form playing a blues and three standards with the backing of a fine rhythm section: Hampton Hawes (who unfortunately sticks to electric piano), electric bassist Bob Cranshaw, drummer Kenny Clarke and Kenneth Nash on congas. Best of all is a 17-minute blues on which Ammons welcomes fellow tenor Dexter Gordon, cornetist Nat Adderley and altoist Cannonball Adderley; the four horns all get to trade off with each other. This is one of the better late-period Gene Ammons records. ---Scott Yanow, Rovi

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Gene Ammons – Angel Eyes (1962)

2009-10-17T20:53:59Z

Gene Ammons – Angel Eyes (1962)


1. Gettin' Around
2. Blue Room
3. You Got To My Head
4. Angel Eyes
5. Water Jug
6. It's The Talk Of The Town

Personnel: 
Gene Ammons (tenor saxophone); 
Frank Wess (tenor saxophone, flute); 
Mal Waldron (piano); 
Johnny "Hammond" Smith (organ); 
Doug Watkins, Wendell Marshall (bass); 
Arthur Taylor, Ed Thigpen (drums).

Gene Ammons’ Angel Eyes leaves a nagging feeling that it was thrown together and dumped onto the marketplace with little or no thought. After all, when Angel Eyes was released in 1965, Ammons was in the middle of serving a long jail term for narcotics possession. These tunes are culled from two separate sessions, done in 1960 and 1962 respectively, featuring vastly different groups. So, not only does the album feature an outdated snapshot of Ammons’ work as a jazz artist, it also features music that had lingered in the vaults for years.

Of course, these two reservations are nonsense when considering the way jazz record companies operated during the 1960s. Blue Note Records, for example, held off on releasing many recordings that, upon their release years and years later, have revealed few discernable flaws. In addition, just because an album contains music recorded by an artist years ago, that in no way should detract from the listener’s enjoyment or its critical value.

The six songs on Angel Eyes can easily be broken into three up-tempo tracks and three ballads. The trio of light, subtle swingers feature a quintet of Ammons, Frank Wess on flute and tenor saxophone, organist Johnny “Hammond” Smith, bassist Doug Watkins and Art Taylor on drums. Soulful playing dominates these tunes with Ammons getting in a relaxed solo on “Gettin’ Around” and Wess turning in a memorable flute improvisation on “Blue Room.”

The same band shows up on the title track and shifts gears from soul to melancholy. In his theme statement, Ammons makes the tune his own, turning the song into a bluesy lament. When he exhorts the listener to “drink up” and “order anything you see,” his saxophone becomes an instrument of beauty and with only a few choice notes conjures up a searing impression of sadness. Throughout the nine minutes of “Angel Eyes,” Ammons’ band creates a expert example of slow-motion ballad playing that perfectly fits the song’s lyrics and drips with pure, authentic emotion.

“You Go To My Head” and “It’s The Talk of the Town” pair Ammons up with a rhythm section featuring Mal Waldron on piano, bassist Wendell Marshall and Ed Thigpen on drums. Both are relatively straightforward ballads which concentrate on melody. The latter tune serves as an effective closer to the album, coming after the celebratory mood of “Water Jug,” and features a creative cadenza by Ammons.

Upon first glance, Angel Eyes may give the impression that it was hastily put together by Prestige, but the music inside brims with the enthusiasm and talent of jazz musicians creating music to be enjoyed and savoured for years and years to come. ---Robert Gilbert, allaboutjazz.com

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Gene Ammons – Funky (1957)

2009-10-17T21:50:15Z

Gene Ammons – Funky (1957)


1. Funky (Burrell ) 9:01
2. Pint Size (Mundy ) 12:23
3. Stella By Starlight (Washington, Young) 8:57
4. King Size (Mundy) 9:16

Personnel: 
Gene Ammons (tenor saxophone); 
Jackie McLean (alto saxophone); 
Art Farmer (trumpet); 
Mal Waldron (piano); 
Kenny Burrell (guitar); 
Doug Watkins (bass); 
Art Taylor (drums).

The Gene Ammons all-star jam session recordings of the 1950's are all quite enjoyable and this one is no exception. The great tenor is matched with trumpeter Art Farmer, altoist Jackie McLean, guitarist Kenny Burrell, pianist Mal Waldron, bassist Doug Watkins and drummer Art Taylor for lengthy versions of "Stella By Starlight," the Burrell blues "Funky" and a pair of numbers by arranger Jimmy Mundy. All of the horns plus Burrell and Waldron get ample solo space and Ammons seems to really inspire his sidemen on these soulful bop jams. ---Scott Yanow, Rovi

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Gene Ammons – Groove Blues (1958)

2009-10-17T21:51:25Z

Gene Ammons – Groove Blues (1958)


1. Ammon Joy
2. Groove Blues
3. Jug Handle
4. It Might As Well Be Spring

Personnel: 
Pepper Adams - Sax (Baritone), 
Gene Ammons - Sax (Tenor), 
John Coltrane - Sax (Alto), Sax (Tenor), 
George Joyner - Bass, 
Jamil Nasser - Bass, 
Paul Quinichette - Sax (Tenor), 
Jerome Richardson - Flute, Sax (Tenor), 
Art Taylor - Drums, 
Arthur Taylor - Drums, 
Mal Waldron - Piano.

On Jan. 3, 1958, Gene Ammons led one of his last all-star jam sessions for Prestige. The most notable aspect to this date (which resulted in two albums of material) is that it featured among its soloists John Coltrane, on alto. This CD, a straight reissue of one of the original LPs, includes baritonist Pepper Adams, the tenor of Paul Quinichette and Coltrane on two of the four selections and Jerome Richardson's flute during three of the songs in addition to a fine rhythm section (pianist Mal Waldron, bassist George Joyner and drummer Art Taylor). This set consists of three of Waldron's originals in addition to the standard ballad "It Might as Well Be Spring" and it (along with the CD The Big Sound) fully documents the productive day. ---Scott Yanow, Rovi

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Gene Ammons – Jammin’ With Gene (1956)

2009-10-17T22:11:34Z

Gene Ammons – Jammin’ With Gene (1956)


1. Jammin' With Gene 
2. We'll Be Together Again 
3. Not Really The Blues

Gene Ammons All Stars: 
Gene Ammons (tenor saxophone); 
Jackie McLean (alto saxophone); 
Art Farmer, Donald Byrd (trumpet); 
Mal Waldron (piano); 
Doug Watkins (bass); 
Art Taylor (drums).

This tenor-saxophonist led a series of excellent all-star jam sessions for the Prestige label during the mid-'50s that took advantage of the extra time available on LPs (as opposed to the three-minute 78). This album features versions of "Jammin' with Gene" (a blues), "We'll Be Together Again" (which evolves from being an Ammons ballad feature into a group jam and then back again) and "Not Really the Blues" that clocks in between ten and over 16 minutes. With such sidemen as trumpeters Art Farmer and Donald Byrd, altoist Jackie McLean, pianist Mal Waldron, bassist Doug Watkins and drummer Art Taylor, this is an excellent (and rather spontaneous) straightahead session. ---Scott Yanow, Rovi

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Gene Ammons – Up Tight! (1961)

2009-10-17T21:13:48Z

Gene Ammons – Up Tight! (1961)


1. The Breeze And I
2. Carbow
3. Moonglow
4. I'm Afraid The Masquerade Is Over
5. I'm Beginning To See The Light
6. Jug's Blue Blues
7. Lester Leaps In
8. The Five O'Clock Whistle
V9. I Sold My Heart To The Junkman
10. Song Of The Islands
11. Up Tight
12. Travelin'
13. Soft Summer Breeze
14. Don't Go To Strangers

Personnel: 
Gene Ammons (tenor saxophone); 
Walter Bishop, Jr., Patti Brown (piano); 
Arthur Davis, George Duvivier (bass); 
Arthur Taylor (drums); 
Ray Barretto (congas).

Gene Ammons recorded many albums for Prestige but, if this CD is a good start for listeners unfamiliar with his playing. A reissue of two LPs (Up Tight and Boss Soul) recorded during the same two-day period, these performances find Ammons backed by a pair of four-piece rhythm sections (with either Walter Bishop or Patti Bown on piano and Ray Barretto's congas a major asset) and taking the lion's share of the solo space. Ammons sounds particularly warm and emotional throughout this CD, particularly on such numbers as "The Breeze and I," "I'm Afraid the Masquerade Is over," a cooking "Lester Leaps In" and "Song of the Islands." His sound and style effectively bridged the gap between bop and soul jazz. ---Scott Yanow, Rovi

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