Gene Ammons

Gene Ammons是為次中音薩克斯風的好手，擅長的風格是bop和soul jazz，出生於風城芝加哥，他將芝加哥的藍調(diào)帶入bop和soul jazz。 父親Albert Ammons是一位Boogie-Woogie的鋼琴好手，他對Gene Ammons的音樂教育影響很大。1943年時加入King Kolax所領導的樂隊演奏，后來轉(zhuǎn)到歌手Billy Eckstine的樂隊，是樂隊里薩克斯風的要角。1950年與薩克斯風手Sonny Stitt組織樂隊（1950-52年），他們的雙薩克斯風很受歡迎，Gene Ammons很擅長於雙薩克斯風的組合，他也曾與Sonny Rollins做雙薩克斯風的專輯。 1958年因吸毒的關係而入獄，在獄中仍繼續(xù)創(chuàng)作，獄方的通融還讓他完成專輯The Big Sound，這是一張非常出色的專輯。出獄之后的60年代是Gene Ammons創(chuàng)作豐富的一段時間，但他還是因毒品問題再次入獄，中間斷斷續(xù)續(xù)有作品推出，直到1969年才出獄。
by Scott Yanow
Gene Ammons, who had a huge and immediately recognizable tone on tenor, was a very flexible player who could play bebop with the best (always battling his friend Sonny Stitt to a tie) yet was an influence on the R&B world. Some of his ballad renditions became hits and, despite two unfortunate interruptions in his career, Ammons remained a popular attraction for 25 years.
Son of the great boogie-woogie pianist Albert Ammons, Gene Ammons (who was nicknamed Jug) left Chicago at age 18 to work with King Kolaxs band. He originally came to fame as a key soloist with Billy Eckstines orchestra during 1944-1947, trading off with Dexter Gordon on the famous Eckstine record Blowing the Blues Away. Other than a notable stint with Woody Hermans Third Herd in 1949 and an attempt at co-leading a two tenor group in the early 50s with Sonny Stitt, Ammons worked as a single throughout his career, recording frequently (most notably for Prestige) in settings ranging from quartets and organ combos to all-star jam sessions. Drug problems kept him in prison during much of 1958-1960 and, due to a particularly stiff sentence, 1962-1969. When Ammons returned to the scene in 1969, he opened up his style a bit, including some of the emotional cries of the avant-garde while utilizing funky rhythm sections, but he was still able to battle Sonny Stitt on his own terms. Ironically the last song that he ever recorded (just a short time before he was diagnosed with terminal cancer) was Goodbye.