Jug

by Gene Ammons

Product Description:

Personnel: Gene Ammons (tenor saxophone); Clarence "Sleepy" Anderson (piano, organ); Richard Wyands (piano); Dough Watkins (bass); J.C. Heard (drums); Ray Barretto (congas).

Recorded at the Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey on January 27, 1961. Originally released on Riverside (7192). Includes liner notes by Joe Goldberg.

Digitally remastered by Phil De Lancie (1991, Fantasy Studios, Berkeley, California).

JUG was Gene Ammons' nickname. This 1961 session finds tenor saxophonist Ammons doing what he does best-ballads and easy grooves. The lazy pace of the opening "Ol' Man River" belies a subtly propulsive momentum. Conga-drum player Ray Barreto augments the backing trio of piano, bass, and drums. Ammons frequently bolstered his rhythm sections thusly, this wise approach adding a range of embellishing counter-rhythms to the open feel of the music. Ammons wrote two blues for this set, "Seed Shack" and "Miss Lucy." The saxophonist recorded so much music, it's easy to lose sight of the fact that he never faltered in the studio. JUG is an exceptional example of Ammons' early '60s output.