Requisites
Jammin’ With Gene ~ Gene Ammons All-Stars | By Eddie Carter
A few evenings ago, after dinner, I was enjoying a good book when I suddenly craved some jazz with a tenor sax. That decision led me to today’s discussion. Upon going to the shelf, I rediscovered one of my favorite records by the Gene Ammons All-Stars. “Jammin’ With Gene” (Prestige PRLP 7060) was the tenor saxophonist’s third release as a leader when it hit the stores in 1956. It was also the second of seven blowing session albums he recorded forthe label. The personnel for this date is a stellar supporting cast: Art Farmer and Donald Byrd on trumpet, Jackie McLean on alto sax, Mal Waldron on piano, Doug Watkins on bass, and Arthur Taylor on drums. My copy of this album is the 1977 Victor Musical Industries Japanese mono reissue (Prestige VIJ-5039).
The first side opens with the title tune, Jammin’ With Gene, by Gene Ammons. From the start, the septet establishes a cohesive atmosphere, with the front line delivering the melody in tight, harmonious unison. Gene takes the lead solo, slipping into a soulful groove that floats effortlessly over the rich foundation provided by his fellow musicians. Donald steps in next, his interpretation unfolding with increasing intensity, from a gentle warmth to a robust climax, also with the front line shadowing him. Art and Jackie then state their cases in the subsequent two readings, each presentation adding a fresh layer of expression. Mal wraps things up with a laid-back performance, which is followed by the group circling back to their unified closing chorus.
The album’s only standard, We’ll Be Together Again, by Carl Fischer and Frankie Laine, opens gently as Gene, Mal, and Doug’s introduction segues into a subtle, slow-moving melody by Ammons. Gene then steps forward, launching the opening statement with a smooth, relaxed swing. Art follows, infusing the second reading with vivacious energy, and then Jackie picks up the rhythm with lively, enthusiastic lines. Donald delivers the goods on the following interpretation, after which Mal ushers in a flowing groove leading into Gene’s closing passage back into a ballad tempo for the group’s graceful finish.
The album’s finale, Not Really The Blues by Johnny Mandel, is a lively, up-tempo tune that takes off with a brisk melody from the whole ensemble. Donald leads off, delivering a spirited statement that sets the pace, then Jackie adds some bite with sharp, energetic phrasing. Art keeps the momentum high with his vigorous contribution, while Gene steps in with high-octane in the next solo. Mal keeps things simmering with his smooth piano work, paving the way for a rapid-fire exchange among Farmer, Byrd, McLean, and Ammons. The excitement builds as Donald, Jackie, Art, and Gene trade choruses in a heated musical conversation, driving the group toward a swift and exhilarating exit.
Bob Weinstock supervised the session, and Rudy Van Gelder was responsible for the recording duties. This reissue’s sound quality is a delight to hear, with a vivid soundstage that transports the musicians to the sweet spot in your listening room. If you’re a Gene Ammons fan and appreciate a good bop album, I happily recommend “Jammin’ With Gene” by the Gene Ammons All-Stars for a spot in your library. It’s an underrated, but excellent album that every tenor sax enthusiast should seek out on their next record-shopping trip!
~ We’ll Be Together Again – Source: JazzStandards.com
© 2025 by Edward Thomas Carter
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Russ Gershon was born on August 11, 1959 and grew up in Westport, Connecticut. He attended Harvard University where he received a degree in philosophy and was a disc jockey, jazz director and station manager at Harvard’s WHRB radio station. He attended Berklee College of Music for a year in 1984 and the following year the Either/Orchestra played its first live show at the Cambridge Public Library.
Founding Accurate Records he has released albums by Morphine, Medeski Martin & Wood, the Alloy Orchestra, Ghost Train Orchestra, the Either/Orchestra, Dominique Eade, and Garrison Fewell. He has been a member of rock bands and has worked as a studio musician as well as performing in Boston, Massachusetts.
In 1997 Russ played arrangements of Ethiopian popular music with the Either/Orchestra. This drew the attention of Francis Falceto, who produced the “Éthiopiques” series of albums to document 20th century Ethiopian music. Through Falceto’s connections his band were invited to Addis Ababa in 2004 and became the first American big band to perform in Ethiopia since Duke Ellington’s in 1973.Their principal concert was released as the album Ethiopiques 20: Live in Addis and led to working with Ethiopian musicians such as Mahmoud Ahmed, and appeared with Ahmed’s band at Carnegie Hall in 2016.
Saxophonist, flutist, composer, and arranger Russ Gershon continues to perform with the Either/Orchestra.
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Vinnie Dean was born Vincent Nicholas diVittorio on August 8, 1929 in Mount Vernon, New York. He was primarily an alto saxophonist, but also played flute and piccolo.
After World War II he played in New York City with Shorty Sherock and Johnny Bothwell, and recorded with Charlie Spivak and Charlie Barnet in the late 1940s. The 1950s saw him playing with Elliot Lawrence, Stan Kenton, Ralph Burns, and Eddie Bert, recording with all of them.
He was less active from the late-1950s, but still performed or recorded later in his career with Hal McKusick, Ray McKinley, Urbie Green, Sal Salvador, and Benny Goodman, as well as returning to play with Lawrence and Barnet.
From the 1960s onward he was involved in the music business, operating a publishing outlet, a booking agency, a recording studio, and a vinyl shop. Alto saxophonist Vinnie Dean died in Danbury, Connecticut on September 14, 2010 at the age of 81.
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Victor Louis Goines, born August 6, 1961 in New Orleans, Louisiana. He graduated from St. Augustine High School in New Orleans and has been a member of Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra and the Wynton Marsalis Septet since 1993.
Goines has collaborated with Terence Blanchard, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Ruth Brown, Ray Charles, Bo Diddley, Bob Dylan, Dizzy Gillespie, Freddie Green, Lionel Hampton, Freddie Hubbard, B.B. King, Lenny Kravitz, Branford Marsalis, Ellis Marsalis, James Moody, Dianne Reeves, Marcus Roberts, Diana Ross, Eric Clapton, Wycliffe Gordon, and Stevie Wonder.
He has performed on more than 20 recordings, including the soundtracks for three Ken Burns documentaries and the 1990s films Undercover Blues, Night Falls on Manhattan, and Rosewood. He has composed more than 200 original works, including Jazz at Lincoln Center and ASCAP commissions.
He has also served on the faculties of Florida A&M University, University of New Orleans, Loyola University of New Orleans, and Xavier University of Louisiana. Goines is an artist for Buffet Crampon and Vandoren.
Saxophonist and clarinetist Victor Goines, who was director of the jazz program at Juilliard from 2000 to 2007, has served as president and chief executive officer of Jazz St. Louis since September 2022.
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Jemeel Moondoc was born in Chicago, Illinois on August 5, 1946 and studied clarinet and piano before settling on saxophone at sixteen. He became interested in jazz largely due to Cecil Taylor and at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, and was a student of Taylor’s.
After his time at the university he moved to New York City, where he founded “Ensemble Muntu” with William Parker, Roy Campbell, Jr., and Rashid Bak. The group had its own Muntu record label, but eventually faced financial difficulties.
In 1984, he formed the Jus Grew Orchestra, which secured a residency at the Neither/Nor club on the Lower East Side. He worked with Parker again in 1998’s album, New World Pygmies.
Alto saxophonist, clarinetist and pianist Jemeel Moondoc, a proponent of a highly improvisational style, died on August 29, 2021, at the age of 75 from the effects of sickle cell anemia.
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