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Gene Ammons


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Gene Ammons. . .you can reach blindly into a stack of his recordings and come up with a gem!

Indeed.

Though I think Fantasy COULD have come up with a compilation that DIDN'T include material on other Fantasy twofer CDs and DID include the WHOLE of the "Night lights" LP with Wynton Kelly, which is one of my favourite Jugs.

I AM conscious that this is nitpicking, but it means the whole of that LP will never come out on CD. Those who say his best period is between his two stays in prison are right but maybe undervaluing this and a few other albums.

MG

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  • 2 months later...

Listening to Jammin' in Hi-Fi with Gene Ammons right now, and I have to say this is one of my favorite Prestige jam sessions. Just look at the line-up:

Idrees Sulieman

Jackie McLean

Gene Ammons

Kenny Burrell

Mal Waldron

Paul Chambers

Art Taylor

Taylor's livelier on this session than on other similar dates for Prestige, and maybe this accounts for the spark that seems to go around solo-to-solo. Ammons is inspired rather than hiply laid back, and Sulieman rips out some crisply articulated lines for his solos. Only Burrell seems not to get much room to shine. Overall, a big :tup for an enjoyable listening experience.

Other fans here of the Ammons jam sessions? Do you have a particular favorite, or do you just "like them all"?

Edited by Late
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Other fans here of the Ammons jam sessions? Do you have a particular favorite, or do you just "like them all"?

I have to say I like them all. The first one I ever owned was "Not Really the Blues", so it may be my favorite, but not by much. It's great to hear these boppers stretch out.

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Gene Ammons. . .you can reach blindly into a stack of his recordings and come up with a gem!

Indeed.

Though I think Fantasy COULD have come up with a compilation that DIDN'T include material on other Fantasy twofer CDs and DID include the WHOLE of the "Night lights" LP with Wynton Kelly, which is one of my favourite Jugs.

I AM conscious that this is nitpicking, but it means the whole of that LP will never come out on CD.

This bugs me as well. They could at least release those missing Night Lights tracks through eMusic and such.

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Anybody have the discographical info for "Night Lights"?

Full title is "Night lights; Gene Ammons plays Nat Cole" Prestige P7862

2 Feb 1970, Van Gelder's. Remastered George Horn, 1985, Fantasy studios.

Gene Ammons - ts

Wynton Kelly - p

George Duvivier - b

Rudy Collins - d

Pucho Brown - cga ("Calypso blues" only)

Side 1

Night lights

Nature boy

Calypso blues

Side 2

Lush life

Sweet Lorraine

The Christmas song

One of my all time favourite Jugs.

MG

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Apart from a few dud tracks here and there - not very many - Jug was always beautiful. I think his best period was between his two stints of bird, but after he came out in 1969, he made that "Boss is back" & "Brother Jug" and the "Night lights". They're all much better than good.

Here's a list of the albums he made between his two sentences. 23 albums in just over 2 years!

* Boss tenor – Prestige 7180 (6/1960)

* Velvet soul – Prestige 7320 (6/1960,6/1961&9/1962)

* Angel eyes – Prestige 7369 (6/1960,9/1962)

* Nice ‘n cool – Moodsville 18 (1/1961)

* Jug – Prestige 7192 (1/1961)

* Late hour special – Prestige 7287 (6/1961&4/1962)

* Soul summit (with Stitt & McDuff – Prestige 7234 & 7275 (6&12/1961&1,2&4/1962)

Groovin with Jug (with Groove Holmes) Pacific Jazz 32 (8/1961)

* Dig him (aka We’ll be together again) (with Stitt) – Argo 697 (PR7606) (8/1961)

* Boss tenors (with Stitt) – Verve 68426 (8/1961)

* Just Jug (aka Live in Chicago) – Argo 698 (PR7495) (8/1961)

* Up tight – Prestige 7208 (10/1961)

* Boss soul - Prestige 7445 (10/1961)

* Twistin’ the Jug – Prestige 7238 (11/1961)

* Mellow gravy (with McDuff) – Prestige 7228 (1/1962)

* Boss tenors in orbit (with Stitt) – Verve 68468 (2/1962)

* The soulful moods of Gene Ammons – Moodsville 28 (4/1962)

Blue groove – Prestige MPP2514 (4/1962)

* Preachin’ – Prestige 7270 (5/1962)

* Jug & Dodo – Prestige 24021 (5/1962)

House warmin’(with Howard McGhee) – Winley 6005 (Prob 5/1962)

* Bad Bossa Nova – Prestige 7257 (9/1962)

Swingin’ the Jug – Roots 1002 (c1962) (Never come across this one)

The ones I've marked * are available at present (unless Concord have junked any).

MG

Edited by The Magnificent Goldberg
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I have always enjoyed "Jug and Sonny", Chess 1445. I don't think it has ever been reissued on CD.

No - though you can get all the tracks (except the two by Sonny without Jug) on Chronological Classics.

There used to be a double LP called "Early visions" which covered all the recordings Jug made for Chess (some of them were issued on Aristocrat) between Nov 1948 and Mar 1951. That's the period from which "Jug & Sonny" comes from. It's a damn fine - and interesting - compilation, with all sorts of stuff in there, including his big hit "My foolish heart". It would all fit onto one CD.

MG

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A WORD OF CAUTION - "Live in Chicago" is, in my view, not up to the standard of the others, even though Eddie Buster is on organ and Jerrold Donovan on drums. Jug takes too many of the numbers too fast and his sound drops off.

I think he may have been trying to show someone he could play a bit of Bop :)

MG

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I have always enjoyed "Jug and Sonny", Chess 1445. I don't think it has ever been reissued on CD.

No - though you can get all the tracks (except the two by Sonny without Jug) on Chronological Classics.

There used to be a double LP called "Early visions" which covered all the recordings Jug made for Chess (some of them were issued on Aristocrat) between Nov 1948 and Mar 1951. That's the period from which "Jug & Sonny" comes from. It's a damn fine - and interesting - compilation, with all sorts of stuff in there, including his big hit "My foolish heart". It would all fit onto one CD.

MG

Thanks for the info, MG! I will examine the Chronological Classics now.

This is an example of how our lives will change when there are no more retail music stores. I first heard "Jug and Sonny" over the sound system at a used/rare music store in Kansas City. One of the music fanatic clerks liked to put it on when he was placing new product in the bins. It was just one of many excellent albums I discovered by just being in that store and listening to what they were playing.

Edited by Hot Ptah
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I have always enjoyed "Jug and Sonny", Chess 1445. I don't think it has ever been reissued on CD.

No - though you can get all the tracks (except the two by Sonny without Jug) on Chronological Classics.

There used to be a double LP called "Early visions" which covered all the recordings Jug made for Chess (some of them were issued on Aristocrat) between Nov 1948 and Mar 1951. That's the period from which "Jug & Sonny" comes from. It's a damn fine - and interesting - compilation, with all sorts of stuff in there, including his big hit "My foolish heart". It would all fit onto one CD.

MG

Thanks for the info, MG! I will examine the Chronological Classics now.

This is an example of how our lives will change when there are no more retail music stores. I first heard "Jug and Sonny" over the sound system at a used/rare music store in Kansas City. One of the music fanatic clerks liked to put it on when he was placing new product in the bins. It was just one of many excellent albums I discovered by just being in that store and listening to what they were playing.

Actually, having looked at Amazon.com, you may be able to find a cheaper combination of old Ammons, covering the Chess period, than the Chrono Classics.

MG

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Just about everything by Jug is worth having. My favorite Prestige session is probably - THE HAPPY BLUES.

The group includes along with Ammons - Art Farmer, Jackie Mclean, Duke Jordan, Addison Farmer, Art Taylor, and Candido.

One thing that makes this session a favorite is that Duke Jordan is the pianist. I prefer his playing to that of Mal Waldron who appears on a very large number of Prestige recording sessions.

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i like "big bad jug". i just discovered it is out on CD. though my LP is fine...

I like the three LPs he did after getting back out of jail in '69- Brother Jug, The boss is back and the black Cat (my fave) but I've not heard this one. How does it compare?

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