Soulful Blowing Among Friends in 1957
Ammons seems to really inspire his sidemen on these soulful bop jams, according to AllMusic reviewer Scott Yanow.
Gene Ammons leads a tight, swinging sextet through eight tracks of mid-tempo blues and bebop that feel like a jam session you're allowed to sit in on. Art Farmer's trumpet and Jackie McLean's alto weave around Ammons' warm, full tenor, while Kenny Burrell locks into the groove on guitar and Mal Waldron anchors everything at the piano. Doug Watkins and Art Taylor keep the engine running steady—nothing flashy, just solid pocket playing that lets the horns breathe.
Recorded in 1957, Funky sits comfortably in Ammons' discography as one of his Prestige session albums, a period when he was incredibly prolific but never phoned it in. This is not an experimental record or a statement piece. It's working musicians playing blues-based bebop the way it was meant to sound: direct, soulful, and built for listening to over a drink. The tunes move without rushing; there's space for solos to build and settle. Ammons' tone is the centerpiece—fat and confident—and the band responds to his energy without stepping on it.
For anyone starting out with Ammons, this is accessible and genuinely enjoyable, though his earlier Blue Note sides offer more architectural sophistication. This record works best if you want to hear a saxophonist in his element, surrounded by players who get what he's doing and match his appetite for swinging hard without needing to prove anything.
Who's playing
Doug Watkinsdouble bass
Mal Waldronpiano
Kenny Burrellguitar
Gene Ammonstenor saxophone
Jackie McLeanalto saxophone
Art Farmertrumpet
Art Taylordrums
Where next?
More by Gene Ammons
Boss Tenor 1960
Bad! Bossa Nova 1962
Jammin' With Gene 1956
Boss Tenors: Straight Ahead from Chicago August 1961 1962
The musicians on this record
Introducing Kenny Burrell 1956
Kenny Burrell
plays guitar here
plays guitar here
4, 5 and 6 1956
Jackie McLean
plays alto saxophone here
plays alto saxophone here
Farmer's Market 1958
Art Farmer
plays trumpet here
plays trumpet here
Wheelin’ & Dealin’ 1958
Mal Waldron
plays piano here
plays piano here
