Gene Ammons
Gene Ammons, who had a huge and immediately recognizable tone on tenor, was a very flexible player who could play bebop with the best (always battling his friend Sonny Stitt to a tie) yet was an influence on the R&B world. Some of his ballad renditions became hits and, despite two unfortunate interruptions in his career, Ammons remained a popular attraction for 25 years.
Son of the great boogie-woogie pianist Albert Ammons, Gene Ammons (who was nicknamed "Jug") left Chicago at age 18 to work with King Kolax's band. He originally came to fame as a key soloist with Billy Eckstine's orchestra during 1944-1947, trading off with Dexter Gordon on the famous Eckstine record Blowing the Blues Away. Other than a notable stint with Woody Herman's Third Herd in 1949 and an attempt at co-leading a two tenor group in the early '50s with Sonny Stitt, Ammons worked as a single throughout his career, recording frequently (most notably for Prestige) in settings ranging from quartets and organ combos to all-star jam sessions. Drug problems kept him in prison during much of 1958-1960 and, due to a particularly stiff sentence, 1962-1969. When Ammons returned to the scene in 1969, he opened up his style a bit, including some of the emotional cries of the avant-garde while utilizing funky rhythm sections, but he was still able to battle Sonny Stitt on his own terms. Ironically the last song that he ever recorded (just a short time before he was diagnosed with terminal cancer) was "Goodbye."
© Scott Yanow /TiVo
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Gene Ammons & Sonny Stitt Quintet: Boss Tenors + Dig Him!
Jazz - Released by Jazz Musts on 15 Jun 2013
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Chicago Concert
Jazz - Released by Original Jazz Classics on 21 Nov 1971
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Got My Own (Remastered 2023)
Jazz - Released by Craft Recordings on 1 Jan 1973
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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Classic Ammons, Vol. 6: Boss Tenor
Jazz - Released by Top Tracks on 30 Oct 2013
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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Jazz Legends Collection
Jazz - Released by Bubble Jazz Records on 12 Dec 2016
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Complete Jazz Series 1950 - 1953
Jazz - Released by Complete Jazz Series on 15 Oct 2008
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Boss Tenor
Jazz - Released by Firefly Entertainment on 16 Jun 1960
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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I Like My Morning Jacket
Jazz - Released by Music Is Life on 12 Jul 2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Boss Tenors in Orbit!
Jazz - Released by Stardust Records on 1 Aug 2013
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Stompin' at the Savoy
Jazz - Released by Jazz Arena on 18 Sep 2014
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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Three Classic Albums Plus (Groove Blues / Boss Tenor / Blue Gene) (Digitally Remastered)
Jazz - Released by Avid Entertainment on 12 Jun 2011
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Records For You
Jazz - Released by Remasterings FoYoNo on 13 Mar 2014
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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Jammin' in Hi-Fi
Jazz - Released by Supreme Media on 18 Jul 2013
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Soul Summit
Gene Ammons, Sonny Stitt, Jack McDuff
World - Released by TP4 Music on 14 Feb 2023
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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Gene Ammons Swinging the Jugg (Deluxe Edition)
Bebop - Released by Stone Music Family, LLC on 29 Mar 2019
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo