Boss Tenor
Tenor saxophonist Gene Ammons had a huge sound, and a Coleman Hawkins-inspired ability to belt the blues and caress the ballads with equal facility. This 1960 session, part of a lengthy series of recordings Ammons made for Prestige, shows off his strengths impressively. His broad-toned reading of the ballad "My Romance" confirms his reputation as the master interpreter nicknamed "Gentle Jug." The superbly-attuned rhythm section of pianist Tommy Flanagan, bassist Doug Watkins, drummer Arthur Taylor, andcongeroRay Barretto offers particularly brilliant support on Eddie Haywood's memorable "Canadian Sunset," the uptempo bop exercise of Charlie Parker's "Confirmation," and the swing classic "(Stomping at the) Savoy."--John Swenson