Gene Ammons Takes His Hymns to the Studio
Eleven hymns, one tenor saxophone, and a Prestige session that sounds more like a church service than a jazz date.
Gene Ammons recorded Preachin' in 1962 for Prestige, a label he had been working with for years by then. The session was built around a simple idea: eleven religious hymns, played by a small band in a studio rather than a sanctuary, with Ammons's tenor carrying the melodies. The lineup on the date was spare. Sylvester Hickman anchors the rhythm on bass, Clarence Anderson adds organ, and Dorral Anderson handles membranophone, giving the tracks a loose, communal pulse.
What you hear is less a jazz record in the usual sense than a set of tunes people would recognize from church. Ammons plays them straight, with a big, warm tone and a patience that lets the melodies breathe. The organ fills the room in a way that recalls the gospel recordings of the period, and the rhythm section keeps things steady without pushing. It is an unhurried record, and it works best when you listen to it through once from start to finish.
It is not the place to start with Ammons. Those who want his hard-driving side should begin with Boss Tenor (1961) or something from his Prestige years that puts him in a quintet setting. But for listeners curious about the emotional core of his playing, Preachin' is a rewarding detour, and AllMusic reviewer Scott Yanow called it a rather touching and emotional outing, quite unique in Ammons's catalogue.
Who's playing
