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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Original Jazz Sound: Light, Bluesy and Moody
Jazz - Editado por Original Jazz Sound el 27 may. 2013
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
It Might as Well Be Spring (The Collection)
Jazz - Editado por Save The Last REC el 7 oct. 2016
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
JAZZY CITY - Club Session by Gene Ammons
Jazz - Editado por Rare Jazz Recordings el 26 may. 2015
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Last Christmas I Gave You My Heart (The Hit Collection)
Jazz - Editado por Last Christmas el 9 dic. 2014
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo