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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Hi Fidelity Jam Session
Jazz - Released by CoolNote on 21/07/2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Jammin' In Hi-Fi
Jazz - Released by Firefly Entertainment on 1/01/2000
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Angel Eyes (Original Album 1960)
Jazz - Released by Jazz Classics on 30/09/2016
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Soul Summit (Original Album Plus Bonus Tracks)
Gene Ammons, Sonny Stitt, Jack McDuff
Jazz - Released by Jazz Classics on 1/01/1963
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Heavy Sax (Digitally Remastered)
Jazz - Released by Essential Media Group on 29/09/2009
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Jelling Musikfestival 2012
Rock - Released by Next2Live on 29/05/2012
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Afternoon Tunes
Jazz - Released by extramasters rec-ords on 30/03/2014
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Groovin' with Jug (2018 Digitally Remastered)
Richard Groove Holmes, Gene Ammons
Jazz - Released by AVID Jazz on 6/07/2018
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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Ringing Jazz
Jazz - Released by Beach View Records on 29/09/2023
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Boss
Pop - Released by Viva Records Corporation on 8/04/2019
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Giants Of Jazz
Jazz - Released by Harlem Jazz Records on 14/11/2022
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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The Best of Gene Ammons
Jazz - Released by Vintage Jukebox on 5/03/2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Essential Collection
Jazz - Released by Essential Collection on 12/11/2022
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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Classic Ammons, Vol. 2: Jammin' In Hi-Fi
Jazz - Released by Diamond Days on 5/05/2008
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo