Gene Ammons – Blue Gene [180 Gram]

Jazz lovers and sonic thrill seekers – here’s a horn-heavy hangout starring the smooth, swaggering Gene Ammons and a dream team of mid-century jazz legends. Think of it as a top-shelf jam session that someone wisely remembered to hit ‘record’ on.This 1958 Prestige gem is bluesy by name and bluesier by nature – three of the four tracks ride those familiar blues changes like a Cadillac with velvet seats. But don’t get too comfortable, because pianist Mal Waldron penned the entire setlist, including the haunting, minor-key ballad ‘Hip Tip,’ just to keep your ears on their toes.Gene Ammons, aka ‘Jug,’ brings that famously expressive tenor sax of his – rich enough to butter toast with – and pairs up with two of the finest co-conspirators ever to bless a horn: the sharp, soulful Idrees Sulieman on trumpet and the baritone brawler himself, Pepper Adams. This trio doesn’t just blow; they converse, they duel, and occasionally they just throw down.Every player