A simple but very powerful medium-swing blues. A transcription of Gene's solo is available, with detailed dynamics and articulation for a close-up look at his signature style.
Purchasing this song through our affiliate links with certain retailers provides jazzleadsheets.com with additional support to help keep us bringing you the best lead sheets available. Thank you!
Gene Ammons wrote and recorded a lot of riff blues heads. This is one of the simplest—but most effective. The head is two choruses long, with the second chorus rhythmically the same as the first but in a higher range—the riff begins and ends with C♭, the minor 3rd or sharp 9th, instead of the tonic A♭. On the recording, the out head fades out on the second chorus; it can be ended instead on the last melody note or in the last measure.
The recording also has an eight-measure intro, with a bass pedal figure accompanied only by hi-hat. Our audio excerpt starts with the bass pickup to the 7th measure of the intro.
For information on Gene's transcribed solo, click on Solos.
"Boss Tenor" was the first recording Gene Ammons made in 1960. It marks the beginning of the second stage of his career, after being off the scene since 1958. This is the fourth of five Ammons-led albums with bassist Doug Watkins and Art Taylor, but the only one with pianist Tommy Flanagan; Gene and Tommy also played on a Bennie Green all-star session in 1958 for the Vee Jay label. Watkins, Taylor, and Ray Barretto all played on a session the day after the "Boss Tenor" session, featuring Gene with Frank Wess and organist Johnny "Hammond" Smith; this album is titled "Angel Eyes." Ray Barretto also played on Gene's last album, "Goodbye," in 1974.
Don Sickler: "This is absolutely classic Gene Ammons, as you'll hear from our audio excerpt. First listen to his magical use of dynamics to shape his phrases. In his five-chorus solo , I couldn't resist having our excerpt continue into the start of the 3rd chorus. Be sure to check out his patented tongue muting and overtones in the pickup and start of his 3rd chorus!"
The overtones (low B♭ overblown an octave above) are indicated with circles above the note heads, and the tongue-muted notes have X-shaped note heads. The letter S below a note, which appears twice toward the end of the second chorus, signifies side D fingering. This transcription has detailed dynamics and articulations that really illustrate the subtleties of Gene Ammons' unique style. A few chord alterations and implied substitute changes are shown below the staff.
Gene Ammons is the son of the great boogie-woogie pianist Albert Ammons. Born in Chicago, Gene studied music at Du Sable High School under Captain Walter Dyett. He left Chicago at 18 to tour with King Kolax. On September 5, 1944, at the age of 19, he made his first recording with Billy Eckstine and his Orchestra. The Eckstein band was truly legendary, with Dexter Gordon on tenor sax, Leo Parker on baritone, Dizzy Gillespie in the trumpet section, Art Blakey on drums, Tommy Potter on bass, Sarah Vaughan singing with the band, and Tadd Dameron as one of the arrangers. It was a hothouse of talent and creativity and an immense opportunity for the young Gene, whom Billy nicknamed “Jug” when the straw hats ordered for the band were too small for his head. Read more...
