GENE AMMONS
Boss Tenor (Prestige)
Reviewed by Ron Saranich

---

Gene Ammons was a soulful, blues-based tenor saxophone player who derived his style from both Lester Young and Ben Webster. He never ventured too far from mainstream bebop jazz, with ballads his forte.

For this 1960's session, Ammons is joined by Tommy Flannagan on piano, Doug Watkins bass, Arthur Taylor on drums, and Ray Barretto conga. The cd begins with the slow blues "Hittin' The Jug," with Flanagan laying down a wicked intro dripping with feeling. Ammons doesn't even enter the song for almost a minute and a half, but when he does, watch out. The man has a serious case of the blues, and his warm, evocative tone is perfect for telling his story. "Close Your Eyes," "Blue Ammons" and "Canadian Sunset" are medium tempo numbers played to perfection. The standard "My Romance" accentuates Ammons heavy sounding sax and is a worthy tribute to Sonny Rollins. Once Ammons finds his groove, I find myself sitting back in my chair, closing my eyes, and letting my imagination soar.

The final two songs, Charlie Parker's "Confirmation" and the classic "Stompin' At The Savoy," are fast showcases for Ammons' chops, and he plays fiery, inspired tenor for these tunes. If you're sitting down at the end of this cd, you must be comatose.

If this isn't perfection, who cares? It's close enough. Every song is a winner. This 20-bit re-master was released at the end of 1999 and the sound is extraordinary, literally leapin' out of the speakers. I highly recommend this cd for all lovers of straight ahead, cookin' jazz. You won't regret your purchase for a single moment. Also strongly recommended is Ammons' The Happy Blues.

© 2000 - Ron Saranich