Monday, February 27, 2023

Gene Ammons - Dig Him!

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 1961
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 41:16
Size: 94,9 MB
Art: Front

(4:23)  1. Red Sails In The Sunset
(4:20)  2. But Not For Me
(4:39)  3. A Pair Of Red Pants
(4:36)  4. We'll Be Together Again
(3:19)  5. A Mess
(3:57)  6. New Blues Up And Down
(5:14)  7. My Foolish Heart
(2:39)  8. Water Jug
(4:11)  9. Autumn Leaves
(3:53) 10. Time On My Hands

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 https://itunes.apple.com/mt/album/dig-him/id609645816

Personnel:  Sonny Stitt alto - saxophone, tenor saxophone;  Gene Ammons - tenor saxophone;  John Houston - piano;  Charles Williams - bass;  George Brown - drums.

Dig Him!

6 comments:

ALWAYS include your name/nick/aka/anything!