Requisites

Funky ~ Gene Ammons All-Stars | By Eddie Carter

Next from the library is a significant 1957 jam session led by tenor saxophonist Gene Ammons with a first-class supporting cast titled Funky (Prestige PRLP 7083). His bandmates on this date are Art Farmer on trumpet, Jackie McLean on alto sax, Mal Waldron on piano, Kenny Burrell on guitar, Doug Watkins on bass, and Art Taylor on drums. My copy is the 1986 U.S. Original Jazz Classics Mono reissue (Prestige OJC-244).

Kenny Burrell’s Funky starts Side One with Doug’s bass intro, developing into the ensemble’s relaxing opening chorus. Gene solos first, making effective use of his mellow tone in a flawless opening statement. Kenny eases into a delightful reading next, complementing the rhythm section perfectly. Jackie cruises methodically into a casually carefree performance by Art, bristling with good feelings. Mal comes in next with a swinging presentation, and then Doug closes with a laid-back comment ahead of the ensemble’s closing chorus.

Pint Size, the first of two tunes by tenor saxophonist Jimmy Mundy, concludes the first side leisurely with the septet’s tight harmony in unison with the melody. Ammons lays down a compelling opening solo, emitting an infectious excitement as it unfolds. Farmer sustains the contagious rhythm next by inviting us to snap our fingers, tap our toes or get up and dance. McLean provides equal amounts of passion and flair in the third reading. Burrell does a masterful job executing a series of skillful phrases, and Waldron approaches the finish line with a sparkling performance culminating in the climax.

Stella By Starlight by Victor Young and Ned Washington first appeared in the 1944 supernatural horror film The Uninvited and opens Side Two. The ensemble opens deceptively at a slow ballad tempo with a warm, sinuous intro by Wal and Gene’s gentle theme. The pace picks up dramatically for each solo, beginning with the leader delivering his message confidently. Art takes center stage next for some enthusiastic solo work, and then Jackie swings with a happy approach, showing remarkable skill. Kenny echoes the merriment of his colleagues with an enthusiastic performance. Mal ends with a quaint interpretation prior to the leader’s return to the slow tempo for the close.

Jimmy Mundy’s King Size sets up things with a solo introduction by Ammons that segues into the group’s lively melody. Gene swings with immense energy in an exquisite opening solo, with Farmer shadowing him for one chorus. The trumpeter answers him with some down-home cooking for an incredibly flavorful dish. McLean soars skyward with avid enthusiasm in the next reading. Burrell’s guitar surges with scintillating radiance; then, Waldron takes the spotlight last for an adrenaline-fueled solo powered by the rhythm section’s dazzling groundwork. The principal soloists share a few final observations in the front line’s closing chorus, featuring a brief solo by Watkins into the song’s finale.

Bob Weinstock supervised the original session of Funky, and the remastering of Rudy Van Gelder’s original mono tapes by Fantasy is superb, with an excellent soundstage of all the instruments emerging through the speakers vividly! Gene Ammons played and recorded with some of the greatest names in jazz. He got his nickname “Jug” from Billy Eckstine, whose band he was a member of in 1944, and he later played in Woody Herman’s Second Herd. Gene Ammons’s jazz career was interrupted twice because of two prison sentences (1958-1960) and (1962-1969) for narcotics possession.

He lost his battle against cancer on August 6, 1974, at the age of forty-nine. Gene Ammons and his bandmates are in breathtaking form and tone throughout this album, and the music heard flows as naturally as water downhill into a stream. If you are a fan of his or are just discovering his music, I hope you will consider Funky by Gene Ammons for a spot in your library on your next record-shopping trip. It is a well-rounded program of bop and soul jazz from Prestige, the label known for outstanding jam session LPs during the fifties and sixties!

~ Stella By Starlight – Source: JazzStandards.com

~ Gene Ammons – Source: Wikipedia.org

© 2024 by Edward Thomas Carter