Gene Ammons • The Black Cat!

 

Review by Stewart Mason
One of Gene Ammons' best late-period albums, 1970's Black Cat is a bluesy, low-key album and a comparative anomaly: a primarily acoustic soul-jazz album! Ammons was experimenting heavily with the amplified, feedback-laced electric saxophone during this period, but for Black Cat he sticks to his familiar unamplified tenor, playing raunchy gutbucket lines over Ron Carter's warm, deep-toned bass, Idris Muhammad's laid-back drums, and Harold Mabern's twinkling piano (yes, piano, not the soul-jazz cliché Hammond organ). Most of the time, only guitarist George Freeman is plugged in, but even he plays with clean-toned restraint. The centerpiece tracks are the funky soul-jazz blues "Piece to Keep Away Evil Spirits" and the more danceable, groove-oriented "Jug Eyes," which would become two of Ammons' most popular tracks, but the surprises are a pair of pop covers, Gary White's "Long Long Time" (popularized by Melanie and Linda Ronstadt) and the Beatles' "Something." Most soul-jazz covers of pop songs sound like boring, uninspired feints towards radio airplay, but Ammons turns both of these melodic ballads into solo showcases for himself and Mabern that show off both players at their finest.
https://www.allmusic.com/album/black-cat-mw0000873081

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Reseña de Stewart Mason
Uno de los mejores álbumes de Gene Ammons de la última época, Black Cat, de 1970, es un álbum bluesero y discreto y una anomalía comparativa: ¡un álbum de soul-jazz principalmente acústico! Ammons estaba experimentando mucho con el saxofón eléctrico amplificado y con retroalimentación durante este período, pero para Black Cat se ciñe a su familiar tenor no amplificado, tocando líneas de gutbucket raunchy sobre el cálido y profundo bajo de Ron Carter, la relajada batería de Idris Muhammad y el centelleante piano de Harold Mabern (sí, piano, no el cliché de órgano Hammond del soul-jazz). La mayor parte del tiempo, sólo el guitarrista George Freeman está enchufado, pero incluso él toca con una contención de tono limpio. Los temas centrales son el funky soul-jazz blues "Piece to Keep Away Evil Spirits" y el más bailable y orientado al groove "Jug Eyes", que se convertirían en dos de los temas más populares de Ammons, pero las sorpresas son un par de versiones pop, "Long Long Time" de Gary White (popularizada por Melanie y Linda Ronstadt) y "Something" de los Beatles. La mayoría de las versiones soul-jazz de canciones pop suenan como aburridas y poco inspiradas, pero Ammons convierte estas dos baladas melódicas en escaparates para él y para Mabern que muestran a ambos músicos en su mejor momento.
https://www.allmusic.com/album/black-cat-mw0000873081

Credits:
    Arranged By [Strings], Conductor – Bill Fischer* (tracks: A2, B2)
    Bass – Ron Carter
    Drums – Idris Muhammad
    Electric Piano – Harold Mabern (tracks: A2, B2)
    Guitar – George Freeman
    Liner Notes [January 1971] – Harry Abraham
    Piano – Harold Mabern
    Recorded By – Rudy Van Gelder
    Supervised By, Producer – Bob Porter
    Tenor Saxophone – Gene Ammons

Notes:
Recorded November 11, 1970.

 

 

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