Eugene " Jug" Ammons (April 14, 1925 – August 6, 1974),
Biography
Born in Chicago, Illinois,
Ammons studied music with instructor
Walter Dyett at DuSable High School. Ammons began to gain recognition while still at high school when in 1943, at the age of 18, he went on the road with trumpeter
King Kolax's band. In 1944, he joined the band of
Billy Eckstine (who bestowed on him the nickname "Jug" when straw hats ordered for the band did not fit), playing alongside
Charlie Parker and later
Dexter Gordon.
Performances from this period include "Blowin' the Blues Away," featuring a saxophone duel between Ammons and Gordon. After 1947, when Eckstine became a solo performer, Ammons then led a group, including
Miles Davis and
Sonny Stitt, that performed at Chicago's Jumptown Club. In 1949, Ammons replaced
Stan Getz as a member of
Woody Herman's Second Herd,
and then in 1950 formed a duet with Sonny Stitt.
The 1950s were a prolific period for Ammons and produced some acclaimed recordings such as The Happy Blues (1956). Musicians who played in his groups, apart from Stitt, included Donald Byrd, Jackie McLean, John Coltrane, Kenny Burrell, Mal Waldron, Art Farmer, and Duke Jordan.
His later career was interrupted by two prison sentences for narcotics possession, the first from 1958 to 1960, the second from 1962 to 1969.
Ammons had the first of two records released by Leonard Chess on the newly-formed Chess Records label in 1950, titled "My Foolish Heart" (Chess 1425); Muddy Waters was the second record, "Rolling Stone" (Chess 1426). Both records were released simultaneously.
Ammons died in Chicago on August 6, 1974, at the age of 49, from bone cancer and pneumonia.
Playing style
Ammons and
Von Freeman were the founders of the Chicago school of tenor saxophone. Ammons's playing style showed influences from
Lester Young as well as
Ben Webster. These artists had helped develop the sound of the tenor saxophone to higher levels of expressiveness. Ammons, together with Dexter Gordon and Sonny Stitt, helped integrate their developments with the emerging "vernacular" of the bebop movement, and the chromaticism and rhythmic variety of
Charlie Parker is evident in his playing.
While adept at the technical aspects of bebop, in particular its love of harmonic substitutions, Ammons stayed in touch with the commercial blues and R&B of his day. For example, in 1950 the saxophonist's recording of "My Foolish Heart" made Billboard Magazine's black pop charts.
Discography
As leader/co-leader
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Soulful Saxophone (Chess Records 1442, 1948–51 1959) reissued as Makes It Happen (Cadet 783, 1967)
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All Star Sessions (Prestige Records 7050, 1950–51 + 1955 1956)
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The Happy Blues (Prestige 7039, 1956)
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Jammin' with Gene (Prestige 7060, 1956)
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Funky (Prestige 7083, 1957)
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Jammin' in Hi Fi with Gene Ammons (Prestige 7110, 1957)
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The Big Sound (Prestige 7132, 1958)
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Groove Blues (Prestige 7201, 1958 1961)
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Blue Gene (Prestige 7146, 1958)
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Boss Tenor (Prestige 7180, 1960)
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Nice an' Cool (Moodsville MV-18, 1961)
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Jug (Prestige 7192, 1961)
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Just Jug live (Argo 698, 1961 1962)
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Up Tight! (Prestige 7208, 1961)
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Boss Soul! (Prestige 7445, 1961 1963)
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Twisting the Jug with Joe Newman, Jack McDuff (Prestige 7238, 1961)
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Soul Summit Vol. 2 with Etta Jones, Jack McDuff (Prestige 7275, 1961–62 1963)
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Late Hour Special (Prestige 7287, 1961–62 1964)
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The Soulful Moods of Gene Ammons (Moodsville MV-28, 1962 1963)
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Blue Groove (Prestige MPP-2514, 1962 1982)
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Preachin' (Prestige 7270, 1962)
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Jug & Dodo with Dodo Marmarosa (Prestige 24021, 1962 1972) 2-LP
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Velvet Soul (Prestige 7320, 1960–62 1964)
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Angel Eyes (Prestige 7369, 1960–62 1965)
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Sock! (Prestige 7400, 1954–55 + 1962 1965)
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Bad! Bossa Nova (Prestige 7257, 1962) reissued as Jungle Soul! (Ca' Purange) (Prestige 7552, 1968)
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The Boss Is Back! (Prestige 7739, 1969)
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Brother Jug! (Prestige 7792, 1969 1970)
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Night Lights (Prestige 7862, 1970 1985)
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The Chase! with Dexter Gordon live (Prestige 10010, 1970)
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The Black Cat! (Prestige 10006, 1970 1971)
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My Way (Prestige 10022, 1971)
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Chicago Concert with James Moody (Prestige 10065, 1971 1973)
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Free Again (Prestige 10040, 1972)
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Got My Own (Prestige 10058, 1972 1973)
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Big Bad Jug (Prestige 10070, 1972 1973)
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Gene Ammons and Friends at Montreux (Prestige 10078, 1973)
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Gene Ammons in Sweden (Enja Records 3093, 1973 1981)
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Brasswind (Prestige 10080, 1974)
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Goodbye (Prestige 10093, 1974 1975)
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Swinging the Jugg (Roots 1002, 1970 1976)
As co-leader with Sonny Stitt
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Kaleidoscope (Prestige 7077, 1950–52 1957)
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Boss Tenors: Straight Ahead from Chicago – August 1961 (Verve Records 8426, 1962)
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Boss Tenors in Orbit! (Verve 8468, 1962)
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Dig Him! (Argo 697, 1962) reissued as We'll Be Together Again (Prestige 7606, 1969)
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Soul Summit (Prestige 7234, 1962)
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You Talk That Talk! (Prestige 10019, 1971)
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God Bless Jug and Sonny live (Prestige 11019, 1973 2001)
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Left Bank Encores live (Prestige 11022, 1973 2002)
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Together Again for the Last Time (Prestige 10100, 1973 1976)
As sideman
With Bennie Green
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Soul Stirrin' (Blue Note, 1958)
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The Swingin'est (Vee Jay, 1959)
With Richard "Groove" Holmes
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Groovin' with Jug (Pacific Jazz, 1961)
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Tell It Like It Is (Pacific Jazz, 1966)
With Howard McGhee
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House Warmin'! (Argo, 1963) – originally issued in 1962 on Winley Records as Nothin' But Soul under Gene Ammons' name.
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Maggie: The Savoy Sessions (Savoy, 1977)2LP – compilation. rec. 1948
With Jack McDuff
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Brother Jack Meets the Boss (Prestige, 1962)
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Rock Candy (Prestige, 1972)2LP – compilation
With others
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David Axelrod, Heavy Axe (Fantasy, 1974)
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Richard B. Boone, I've Got a Right to Sing (Nocturne, 1970)
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Miles Davis, Bopping the Blues (Black Lion, 1987) – rec. 1946
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Billy Eckstine, The Legendary Big Band (Savoy, 2002)2CD – anthology (all of Eckstine's recordings for the DeLuxe and National labels). rec. 1944–1947.
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Charles Mingus, Charles Mingus and Friends in Concert (Columbia, 1972)
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Andrew White, Red Top (Andrew's Music, 1977)
External links
