Home » Search Center » Results: Gene Ammons
Results for "Gene Ammons"
Ed Cherry: Always Groovin’
by R.J. DeLuke
"I liked the look of it--I like the sound--the feel," says renowned guitarist Ed Cherry about the guitar, an instrument he has been playing for more than half a century. He long ago became a first-rate player with a warm sound and joyous approach. He is also diverse. He's played a myriad of styles ...
Jazz Dispensary Top Shelf: Bernard Purdie and David Axelrod
by C. Andrew Hovan
As part of Concord Music and Craft Recordings, the Jazz Dispensary line was developed in 2016 to mine some of the funkier and more soul-influenced music housed in the catalogs of Prestige, Milestone, and Fantasy. Their initial offerings were mix tape-style collections frequently tapping into the mystique of the '70s and often appearing on Record Store ...
Joe Lovano: Cleveland's Ultimate Jazz Titan
by Matthew Alec
Friday, June 24th, 2022, saxophonist Joe Lovano's group Sound Prints (alongside trumpeter and co-leader Dave Douglas) delivered a tour de force performance to spellbound audience members at the historic Mimi Ohio Theatre in Playhouse Square as a part of Cleveland's annual Tri-C JazzFest. Seasoned group interplay between drummer Rudy Royston, bassist Matt Penman, and pianist Leo ...
Ramsey Lewis: Life is Good
by Jacob Blickenstaff
Some jazz aficionados might characterize pianist Ramsey Lewis' music as a gateway into more serious jazz, as if popular Lewis albums like The In Crowd (Verve, 1965) were meant to lead novice listeners to saxophonist Ornette Coleman's The Shape of Jazz to Come (Atlantic, 1959). But Lewis' commercial successes should not be viewed as a liability ...
Roots: Deeper Roots
by Chris May
Originally released in South Africa in 1975, Deeper Roots--reissued in spring 2022 on the Canadian vinyl-only label We Are Busy Bodies--inhabits a place on the instrumental jazz/R&B spectrum akin to that of US label Prestige's juke-box singles of the 1960s by artists such as tenor saxophonist Gene Ammons (according to label boss Bob Weinstock, Prestige's biggest ...
Javon Jackson: Wading In Spiritual Waters
by R.J. DeLuke
Saxophonist Javon Jackson, he of the sonorous tenor tone and the inquisitive musical mind, embarked last year on a musical project with a different twist. Jackson, a follower of Sonnys Stitt and Rollins, is known as a a jazz fiend, one of the dauntless players of his era. His superb playing is marked by ...
Tony Monaco: Four Brothers
by C. Andrew Hovan
The current state of recorded music is in flux in ways like it has never been before. Young audiences have fickle tastes and like to pick and choose tracks on streaming platforms. So the idea of an album being a complete and unique entity is a totally foreign idea to many listeners under 30. Nonetheless, the ...
George Freeman: Everybody Say Yeah!
by Mark Corroto
It took a long time (much too long) for listeners to recognize the brilliance that was Chicago saxophonist Fred Anderson. The New York-centric jazz cognoscenti have often overlooked talent that comes from Chicago, and artists were often drawn to The Big Apple to seek the recognition they deserved. Beginning in the '90s, though, the focal point ...
Jazz Musician of the Day: Gene Ammons
All About Jazz is celebrating Gene Ammons' birthday today! Eugene “Jug" Ammons was a jazz tenor saxophonist, and the son of boogie-woogie pianist Albert Ammons. Ammons began to gain recognition when he went on the road with trumpeter King Kolax band in 1943, at the age of 18. He became a member of the Billy Eckstine ...
Groove Town: Buffalo Jazz And Its Legacy - Historical Insights
by Barbara Ina Frenz
From early on, Buffalo attracted musicians as a place to live and pursue their artistic endeavors—and they were excellent ones: Lil Hardin Armstrong, Jimmie Lunceford, Pete Johnson, and Stuff Smith. Dodo Greene, two masters of polyrhythm, Frankie Dunlop and Clarence Becton, as well as pianist and bassist Wade Legge grew up here. Two distinctive voices on ...
