Gene Ammons • The Boss Is Back!

 

Review by Scott Yanow
The executives at Prestige must have been felt ecstatic when they heard Gene Ammons first play after his release from a very severe seven-year jail sentence. The great tenor proved to still be in his prime, his huge sound was unchanged and he was hungry to make new music. This CD, which completely reissues the first two LPs Ammons cut after his return (The Boss Is Back! and Brother Jug!) rewards repeated listenings. The first date (in an acoustic quintet with pianist Junior Mance) hints at his earlier bop-based music while the numbers from the following day (with organist Sonny Phillips) find Ammons playing over a couple of boogaloo vamps very much of the period. Actually it is his ballad statements (particularly "Here's That Rainy Day," "Feeling Good" and even "Didn't We") that really make this CD memorable, although on "He's a Real Gone Guy" Ammons shows that he had not forgotten how to jam the blues either.

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 Reseña de Scott Yanow
Los ejecutivos de Prestige debieron sentirse extasiados cuando oyeron tocar a Gene Ammons por primera vez después de su liberación de una muy severa sentencia de siete años de cárcel. El gran tenor demostró estar aún en su mejor momento, su enorme sonido no había cambiado y estaba hambriento de hacer nueva música. Este CD, que reedita por completo los dos primeros LPs que Ammons cortó después de su regreso (The Boss Is Back! y Brother Jug!) recompensa las escuchas repetidas. La primera cita (en un quinteto acústico con el pianista Junior Mance) alude a su anterior música basada en el bop mientras que los números del día siguiente (con el organista Sonny Phillips) encuentran a Ammons tocando sobre un par de vampiros de boogaloo durante gran parte del período. En realidad son sus declaraciones de balada (particularmente "Here's That Rainy Day", "Feeling Good" e incluso "Didn't We") lo que realmente hace que este CD sea memorable, aunque en "He's a Real Gone Guy" Ammons muestra que tampoco había olvidado cómo improvisar el blues.

 

Tracks:

1. Tastin' The Jug 7:28
2. I Wonder 7:59
3. Ger-ru 8:40
4. Here's That Rainy Day 6:07
5. Madame Queen 6:46
6. The Jungle Boss 5:33
7. Jungle Strut 5:06
8. Didn't We 6:04
9. He's A Real Gone Guy 5:05
10. Feeling Good 5:42
11. Blue Velvet 4:06
12. Son Of A Preacher Man 4:26


Personnel
Gene Ammons - tenor saxophone
Prince James, Houston Person - tenor saxophone (track 1)
Junior Mance - piano (tracks 1, 2 & 4-6)
Sonny Phillips organ (track 3)
Buster Williams - bass (tracks 1, 2 & 4-6)
Bob Bushnell - electric bass (track 3)
Frankie Jones (tracks 1, 2 & 4-6), Bernard Purdie (track 3) - drums
Candido - congas (tracks 1, 2 & 4-6)

release date 1969 / duration 73:22 / Label: Prestige
genre Jazz styles Hard Bop Soul Jazz Jazz Instrument Saxophone Jazz

 

 

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