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 And Friends At Montreux (live)
Jazz - Released by Original Jazz Classics on 1 Jan 1973
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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Boss Tenor (RVG Remasters / Remastered 2006)
Jazz - Released by Prestige on 16 Jun 1960
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Blue Gene / Boss Tenor / Bad! Bossa Nova
Jazz - Released by Universe Remasterings on 29 Aug 2012
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Greatest Hits
Jazz - Released by Harlem Jazz Records on 3 Mar 2015
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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Jammin' With Gene (Album Version)
Jazz - Released by Original Jazz Classics on 13 Jul 1956
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Jug
Jazz - Released by Black Sheep Music on 4 Dec 2018
Vieux Sequins16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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Gene Ammons' All Stars. Complete Recordings with Mal Waldron, Pepper Adams & Art Taylor "Blue Gene," "Groove Blues," "The Big Sound" Plus One Bonus Track From "The Happy Blues"
Jazz - Released by Fresh Sound Records on 2 Sep 2013
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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Red Top - The Savoy Sessions
Jazz - Released by CoolNote on 1 Jan 2000
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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Boss Tenor (Bonus Track Version)
Jazz - Released by Jazz Musts on 2 Jan 2013
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Gene Ammons Story: Organ Combos
Jazz - Released by Prestige on 1 Jan 2000
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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Angel Eyes / Boss Tenor (Two Original Classic Albums - Digitally Remastered)
Jazz - Released by Podium on 11 Sep 2012
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The JAZZ Masters - Gene Ammons
Jazz - Released by Master Series on 19 Aug 2014
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo