Boss Tenors: Straight Ahead from Chicago 1961

Boss Tenors: Straight Ahead from Chicago 1961

ASIN: B00000478H

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
This is a blowing session by big men on big horns. The tempos are up, with double-time the norm, and the horns are given ample room to blow. "There Is No Greater Love" kicks off the CD at a quick tempo and Ammons and Stitt, heard on alto for this tune, set the format of trading theme statements and choruses. They had worked together before this session and their musical symbiosis shows. On "Blues Up and Down" they trade one note back and forth with the ease of two guys playing catch. The recording though is distinguished by the palpable sense of inspiration here. You can hear them exchanging ideas and knocking each other out of their stock riffs and into some truly inspired blowing. --Michael Monhart

Boss Tenors: Straight Ahead from Chicago 1961,Gene Ammons with Sonny Stitt,Polygram Records,Bop,Hard Bop,Jazz,Jazz Music,Pop,Soul-Jazz

Average customer rating:

a toe tapping ride

BUY THIS CD!

Ammons & Stitt: Their best CD together

smokin'!

a happy blowing session

Boss Tenors: Straight Ahead from Chicago 1961
Gene Ammons with Sonny Stitt
Manufacturer: Polygram Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Bebop General | Bebop | Jazz | Styles | Music
Hard Bop | Bebop | Jazz | Styles | Music
General | Jazz | Styles | Music
Soul-Jazz & Boogaloo | Jazz | Styles | Music
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ASIN: B00000478H
Release Date: 1990-03-21

Tracks:

There Is No Greater Love
The One Before This
Autumn Leaves
Blues Up And Down
Counter Clockwise

Amazon.com

This is a blowing session by big men on big horns. The tempos are up, with double-time the norm, and the horns are given ample room to blow. "There Is No Greater Love" kicks off the CD at a quick tempo and Ammons and Stitt, heard on alto for this tune, set the format of trading theme statements and choruses. They had worked together before this session and their musical symbiosis shows. On "Blues Up and Down" they trade one note back and forth with the ease of two guys playing catch. The recording though is distinguished by the palpable sense of inspiration here. You can hear them exchanging ideas and knocking each other out of their stock riffs and into some truly inspired blowing. --Michael Monhart

Customer Reviews:

a toe tapping ride.......2007-04-30

Early in 1950, Gene Ammons and Sonny Stitt co-led a two tenor septet together and frequently interlocked horns during live jazz settings. It is befitting that the two tenors came together in Chicago then for this August 1961 date to play, this time in a quintet formation. The rhythm section here is a solid one, featuring John Houston on piano, Buster Williams on bass and George Brown on drums.

"There Is No Greater Love" is an up-tempo ballad featuring some magnificent interactions between Ammons and Simmons in 8 bar increments. "The One Before This" is a romping melody with Sonny and Gene blowing out choruses in turn. Originally produced by Creed Taylor for Verve, this album was digitally remastered by Tom Ruff at PolyGram Studios. The sound quality and caliber of musicianship are excellent on this release, so I recommend this one without hesitation to the jazz collector in you.

Personnel:

Gene Ammons (tenor sax)
Sonny Stitt (tenor and alto sax)
John Houston (piano)
Buster Williams (bass)
George Brown (drums)

BUY THIS CD!.......2006-11-23

I can't add much to what the other reviewers have said-- oh yeah, the chemistry is terrific, Sonny and Gene are the REAL DEAL my brothers and sisters-- these cats can PLAY.

Ammons & Stitt: Their best CD together.......2006-09-14

Gene Ammons and Sonny Stitt first recorded together back in 1950; their dueling tenor sounds opened lots of eyes and the Boss Tenors seemed totally suited to each other's extroverted style of playing jazz. In the early 1960s they made a few albums together, and this is one of them. It's not surprising they'd kick things off with BLUES UP AND DOWN, which dates back to their first recording session together - a stomping up-tempo a-a-a blues that pits each man's prowess off the other's. They begin to trade choruses right from the get-go, and the 8-minute performance is one of their best. But what's kind of interesting about this album is that Sonny and Gene don't actually do battle with each other track after track; there's a lot of lyricism and shared moments here. Sonny is at his pacifist best on the catchy tune THE ONE BEFORE THIS where his playing is smooth and creamy. The blues COUNTER CLOCKWISE, which goes into double-time in the middle of each man's solo, again features the two in a complimentary fashion rather than pugilistically. The playing is very relaxed after the opening romper, especially on AUTUMN LEAVES and THERE IS NO GREATER LOVE. Gene and Sonny would cut another album together for Verve the following year (1962), which is also good, but this CD is exceptionally good. It's one of their best together.

smokin'!.......2006-05-11

Oh boy, oh jeez, oh what an album. I'd give it 10 stars if I could. Sonny Stitt is on your left speaker and Gene Ammons is on your right. It's good to know that because these two guys go at it lick for lick, and it's up to you to choose your favorite. I'm goin' with Ammons on this blowing session! "Blues up and Down" is the 'Hammer' of the album. It is explosive in every sence of the word. The more I hear it the better it is, and I've been hearing it for quite some time now. Every person that has hung out at my house and heard this album has either bought it right away, or has begged me to burn them a copy. As smokin' as this album is, it has a romantic side to it, especially on tracks like "There is no Greater Love" and "Autumn Leaves". "Autumn Leaves" is more beautiful than any woman you can see on the street, and we all know how many beautiful women walk the streets of New York on a hot summer day! Ok so I'm a cheez-head, but listen to it and you will hear my point. Buy it and play it loud!!!

a happy blowing session.......2005-05-31

Just a happy blowing session by two sax players who love playing with each other.

Ammons is in the groove or soul jazz idiom, where Still is in the Hard Bop form. Both contain a lot of rhythm and soul.

The rhythm section seems subsdued on cd, maybe is was done on purpose.

Music to play with any crowd

The length is 39 minutes long

By the way, why does Amazon include a 'NO' in 'was this review helpful to you?'. People are only human and don't like opinions that differ from themselves, thus the 'NO' makes it too easy express such displeasure.

Are they trying to discourage negative reviews, hence not purchase the CD. Such reviews only help a person in not being dissatisfied a product that received positive reviews

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