Blowing The Blues Away 1944-1947Blowing the Blues Away 1944-1947
is a good introduction to bebop tenor saxophonist Gene Ammons. It
captures the earliest sides of Ammons as a member of the Billy Eckstine
Orchestra, featuring jazz legends Dexter Gordon, Miles Davis, and Dizzy
Gillespie. He is also heard with his father and boogie-woogie pianist
Albert Ammons & His Rhythm Kings and leading his own Gene Ammons
Sextet. These 19 tracks include "McDonald's Sprout," "Second Balcony
Jump," and the legendary tenor sax showdown with Gordon, "Blowing the
Blues Away." This is a great collection on the French label EPM. It may
be slightly difficult to obtain but well worth the search. ~
Al CampbellGene Ammons (tenor saxophone)
Billy Eckstine, Earl Coleman (vocals)
Dexter Gordon (saxophone)
Dizzy Gillespie, Miles Davis, Fats Navarro (trumpet)
Albert Ammons, Junior Mance (piano)
Art Blakey (drums)
Young JugThis
is a CD that will most likely frustrate Gene Ammons collectors a bit.
From 1948-51, the great tenor recorded 24 titles for Chess and its
related labels, and all were reissued on the double LP
Early Visions.
This best-of CD has 16 of the songs, plus a very rare four-song session
from 1952 for Decca that had not been reissued previously; completists
are therefore stuck acquiring both sets. But discographical details
aside, the music on the Chess CD is excellent, with Ammons sounding
quite lyrical on the ballads (which showcase his huge tone), quoting a
dozen Christmas songs on "Swingin' for Xmas," and romping with his
combos on the jump material. This CD is recommended to those listeners
not already owning the two-fer.
Gene Ammons (tenor sax)
Sonny Stitt (baritone sax)
J.J. Johnson (Trombone)
Junior Mance (Piano)
Leo Blevins (Guitar)
The Gene Ammons Story: The 78 EraChronologically, this set follows the
Young Jug
anthology (that collection being comprised primarily of Gene Ammons'
recordings for the Chess label in the late '40s). This is the earliest
volume in
The Gene Ammons Story. It's comprised of his earliest recordings for the Prestige label and, along with the
Gentle Jug and
The Organ Combos
volumes, offers an essential overview of a large portion of his career.
In the '50s Gene Ammons had yet to focus singularly on balladry. There
are some rich ballads here, though ("Back In Your Own Backyard"
positively dazzles), along with jump blues and bop with small and large
ensembles. Ammons is variously accompanied by a piano trio and combos
of up to twice that size, complete with a handful of other horn players
(including longtime musical cohort Sonny Stitt on baritone). Of the
trio material, the version of "I Can't Give You Anything But Love"
swings with quietly propulsive intensity as Ammons flies over and
around pianist Duke Jordan and his rhythm section.
Gene Ammons (vocals, tenor saxophone)
Earl Coleman (vocals)
Sonny Stitt, Rudy Williams, Gene Easton (baritone saxophone)
Bill Massey, Nate Woodyard (trumpet)
Duke Jordan, Junior Mance (piano)
Tommy Potter, Gene Wrighte (bass)
Jo Jones, Art Blakey (drums)
Recorded between March 1950 and November 1955


The Big Sound
Along with its fellow CD
Groove Blues,
this reissue fully documents all of the music recorded by tenor
saxophonist Gene Ammons on the busy day of Jan. 3, 1958. Although there
were many guest soloists, only one of the four songs on this half of
the set (Mal Waldron's "The Real McCoy") has appearances by John
Coltrane (on alto) and the tenor of Paul Quinichette. However,
baritonist Pepper Adams is aboard for two of the performances, and
flutist Jerome Richardson (along with pianist Mal Waldron, bassist
George Joyner and drummer Art Taylor) are on all four. Ammons is easily
the main star (he really excelled in this setting) and is in generally
fine form on the two standards ("That's All" and "Cheek to Cheek"), his
own "Blue Hymn" and the Waldron original. ~
Scott YanowGene Ammons (tenor saxophone)
John Coltrane (alto saxophone)
Paul Quinichette (tenor saxophone)
Pepper Adams (baritone saxophone)
Jerome Richardson (flute)
Mal Waldron (piano)
George Joyner (bass)
Arthur Taylor (drums)
Recorded at the Van Gelder Studio, Hackensack, New Jersey on January 3, 1958
Groove Blues
On
January 3, 1958, Gene Ammons had a good day-a very good day. Recording
sessions from that date resulted in two albums with his All Stars,
Groove Blues and the equally impressive
The Big Sound. On
Groove Blues,
the All Stars stretch out on four tunes: Ammons' own "Jug Handle," two
numbers by pianist Mal Waldron, and one song by Rogers &
Hammerstein. The All Stars boast four saxophonists and represent the
cream of the post-bop crop. John Coltrane's alto, Pepper Adams'
baritone, and Paul Quinichette's tenor trade off with Ammons' tenor
with fire and grace. Their massed sound, along with Jerome Richardson's
flute, is a dazzling force as it flies over the piano and rhythm
section gently pushing "Groove Blues." The closing ballad, "It Might as
Well be Spring," is built around the lush tones of Ammons' solitary
horn and the piano-anchored trio, its 11 minutes of passionate
romanticism drifting by like a hypnotic reverie.
Up Tight!These are from Jug's Prestige tenure. 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 Brown 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.
Gene Ammons (tenor saxophone)
Walter Bishop, Jr., Patti Brown (piano)
Arthur Davis, George Duvivier (bass)
Arthur Taylor (drums)
Ray Barretto (congas)
Recorded at the Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey on October 17 & 18, 1961