Eugene "Jug" Ammons (April 14, 1925 – August 6, 1974), also called "The Boss," was an American jazz tenor saxophonist. He was the son of Albert Ammons, a boogie-woogie pianist. Gene Ammons is remembered for his music that was easy for people to enjoy, influenced by soul and R&B.

Biography

Ammons was born in Chicago, Illinois. He studied music with teacher Walter Dyett at DuSable High School. In 1943, when he was 18 years old, Ammons started traveling with trumpeter King Kolax's band. In 1944, he joined Billy Eckstine's band. Eckstine gave him the nickname "Jug" because the straw hats ordered for the band did not fit. Ammons played with Charlie Parker and later with Dexter Gordon. One performance from this time was "Blowin' the Blues Away," which included a saxophone competition between Ammons and Gordon. After 1947, when Eckstine became a solo performer, Ammons led a group that included Miles Davis and Sonny Stitt. They performed at Chicago's Jumptown Club. In 1949, Ammons took

Playing style

Ammons and Von Freeman were the founders of the Chicago school of tenor saxophone. Ammons's playing style was influenced by Lester Young and Ben Webster. These musicians helped make the tenor saxophone's sound more expressive. Ammons, along with Dexter Gordon and Sonny Stitt, combined their musical ideas with the style of the bebop movement. The use of notes outside the scale and varied rhythms found in Charlie Parker's music can be heard in Ammons's playing.

Although skilled in the complex techniques of bebop, especially the use of different chord changes, Ammons also connected with the popular blues and R&B music of his time. For example, in 1950, Ammons's recording of "My Foolish Heart" appeared on Billboard Magazine's black pop charts. The soul jazz movement of the mid-1960s, which often paired the tenor saxophone with the Hammond B3 electric organ, considers Ammons one of its founders. Ammons had a richer, warmer tone than Stitt or Gordon, allowing him to create many different sounds on the instrument. He played in a singing style that influenced later musicians like Stanley Turrentine, Houston Person, and Archie Shepp. However, Ammons showed little interest in the modal jazz style developed by John Coltrane, Joe Henderson, and Wayne Shorter during the same period.

Discography

• Soulful Saxophone (Chess 1442, 1948–1951 [1959]) was re-released as Makes It Happen (Cadet 783, 1967)
• All Star Sessions (Prestige 7050, 1950–1951 + 1955 [1956])
• The Happy Blues (Prestige 7039, 1956)
• Jammin' with Gene (Prestige 7060, 1956)
• Funky (Prestige 7083, 1957)
• Jammin' in Hi Fi with Gene Ammons (Prestige 7110, 1957)
• The Big Sound (Prestige 7132, 1958)
• Groove Blues (Prestige 7201, 1958 [1961])
• Blue Gene (Prestige 7146, 1958)
• Boss Tenor (Prestige 7180, 1960)
• Nice an' Cool (Moodsville MV-18, 1961)
• Jug (Prestige 7192, 1961)
• Just Jug [live] (Argo 698, 1961 [1962])
• Up Tight! (Prestige 7208, 1961)
• Boss Soul! (Prestige 7445, 1961 [1963])
• Twisting the Jug with Joe Newman, Jack McDuff (Prestige 7238, 1961)
• Soul Summit Vol. 2 with Etta Jones, Jack McDuff (Prestige 7275, 1961–1962 [1963])
• Late Hour Special (Prestige 7287, 1961–1962 [1964])
• The Soulful Moods of Gene Ammons (Moodsville MV-28, 1962 [1963])
• Blue Groove (Prestige MPP-2514, 1962 [1982])
• Preachin' (Prestige 7270, 1962)
• Jug & Dodo with Dodo Marmarosa (Prestige 24021, 1962 [1972]) 2-LP
• Velvet Soul (Prestige 7320, 1960–1962 [1964])
• Angel Eyes (Prestige 7369, 1960–1962 [1965])
• Sock! (Prestige 7400, 1954–1955 + 1962 [1965])
• Bad! Bossa Nova (Prestige 7257, 1962) was re-released as Jungle Soul! (Ca' Purange) (Prestige 7552, 1968)

• The Boss Is Back! (Prestige 7739, 1969)
• Brother Jug! (Prestige 7792, 1969 [1970])
• Night Lights (Prestige 7862, 1970 [1985])
• The Chase! with Dexter Gordon [live] (Prestige 10010, 1970)
• The Black Cat! (Prestige 10006, 1970 [1971])
• My Way (Prestige 10022, 1971)
• Chicago Concert with James Moody (Prestige 10065, 1971 [1973])
• Free Again (Prestige 10040, 1972)
• Got My Own (Prestige 10058, 1972 [1973])
• Big Bad Jug (Prestige 10070, 1972 [1973])
• Gene Ammons and Friends at Montreux (Prestige 10078, 1973)
• Gene Ammons in Sweden (Enja 3093, 1973 [1981])
• Brasswind (Prestige 10080, 1974)
• Goodbye (Prestige 10093, 1974 [1975])
• Swinging the Jugg (Roots 1002, 1970 [1976])

As co-leader with Sonny Stitt:
• Kaleidoscope (Prestige 7077, 1950–1952 [1957])
• Boss Tenors: Straight Ahead from Chicago – August 1961 (Verve 8426, 1962)
• Boss Tenors in Orbit! (Verve 8468, 1962)
• Dig Him! (Argo 697, 1962) was re-released as We'll