Soul Jazz Crossroads: Ammons Between Worlds
Ammons finds a middle ground between bebop's sharp angles and the warm grit of soul jazz.
Up Tight! arrived in 1961, during the period when Gene Ammons was working for Prestige and refining the sound that would define his later reputation. It was recorded at the same sessions that produced Boss Soul!, so the two albums share a relaxed, unfussy approach, and this one leans slightly more toward the groove. If you know Ammons mainly from his later soul jazz records, this is a useful place to hear where that style came from.
The music is straightforward and enjoyable. Ammons plays with a big, round tone and a loose sense of time, moving between hard-swinging bop phrasing and the bluesier, more direct lines that became his trademark. The rhythm section keeps things lively without getting in the way, and the record feels more like a good night in a club than a carefully staged studio project. Nothing here is experimental, and that is part of its appeal.
AllMusic reviewer Scott Yanow wrote that Ammons's sound and style effectively bridged the gap between bop and soul jazz, which is a fair summary of what this record does. It is a solid entry rather than a masterpiece, and it is most rewarding for listeners already interested in Ammons or in the Prestige soul jazz sound of the early 1960s. For someone new to him, start elsewhere and come back to this one.
Who's playing
Art Davisdouble bass
George Duvivierdouble bass
Walter Bishop, Jr.piano
Patti Bownpiano
Gene Ammonssaxophone
Art Taylordrums
Ray Barrettocongas
