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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Stompin' at the Savoy
Jazz - Released by Jazz Arena on Sep. 18, 2014
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Three Classic Albums Plus (Groove Blues / Boss Tenor / Blue Gene) (Digitally Remastered)
Jazz - Released by Avid Entertainment on Jun. 12, 2011
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Records For You
Jazz - Released by Remasterings FoYoNo on Mar. 13, 2014
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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Jammin' in Hi-Fi
Jazz - Released by Supreme Media on Jul. 18, 2013
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Soul Summit
Gene Ammons, Sonny Stitt, Jack McDuff
World - Released by TP4 Music on Feb. 14, 2023
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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The Gene Ammons Story: Organ Combos
Jazz - Released by CoolNote on Jan. 1, 2000
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Congo
House - Released by Strictly Rhythm Records on Jul. 5, 2017
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 Mar. 29, 2019
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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Classy Jazz Collection: Gene Ammons, Vol. 1
Jazz - Released by Nuova Canaria on Nov. 25, 2015
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Swingin'est
Jazz - Released by Music Manager on Feb. 7, 2022
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Brother Jack Meets the Boss
Jazz - Released by Stardust Records on Jun. 1, 1962
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Good old Music
Jazz - Released by Super Sounds re on Dec. 10, 2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
It's the Talk of the Town
Jazz - Released by What A Wonderful World on Mar. 19, 2013
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Feliz Navidad y próspero Año Nuevo de Gene Ammons
Jazz - Released by Amamos la navidad on Nov. 3, 2023
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -