Personnel:

Donald Byrd, Art Farmer, Idrees Sulieman (tp), Jackie McLean (as), Gene Ammons (ts), Mal Waldron (p), Kenny Burrell (g), Doug Watkins, Paul Chambers (b), Art Taylor (d), Candido (perc), Jimmy Mundy (arr)

 

These three albums are from a series of Gene Ammons-led sessions recorded for Prestige starting in 1955, when the tenor headed what amounted to the labels house group in after-hours collaborations that, despite their take-no-prisoners approach, yielded much swinging and imaginative excitement. Amid the fierce blowing Ammons displays power and intensity, and Jackie McLean reveals his concern for linear development, exhibiting a warm tone and phrasing firmly based on Bird. Three great trumpet players are featured in these albums.

 

On Jammin with Gene, Donald Byrd is in incisive and in arresting form, and Art Farmer is his usual elegant, fluent self, both on this album and Funky, while Idrees Sulieman is lyrical and forceful on Jammin in Hi-Fi. Guitarist Kenny Burrell offers some typically fleet choruses on two of the sessions. On piano, Mal Waldrons spare solos offer some piquant moments and leanly provocative statements, supported splendidly by Doug Watkins blues-rooted drive (he is replaced by the powerful Paul Chambers in the last date) and Art Taylors intelligent rhythmic patterns.

 

The last three bonus tracks on the second CD come from Ammons album The Happy Blues, again with Farmer, McLean and Taylor, but with pianist Duke Jordan instead of Waldron, and bassist Addison Farmer and Candido Camero on conga.

 

TRACKLIST:

CD 1

01. Not Really the Blues (Mandel) 16:07

02. Jammin with Gene (Ammons) 14:23

03. We'll Be Together Again (Fischer-Laine) 4:31

04. Funky (Burrell) 8:56

05. Pint Size (Mundy) 12:20

06. Stella by Starlight (Washington-Young) 8:52

07. King Size (Mundy) 9:16

 

CD 2

01. The Twister (Waldron) 12:12

02. Four (Davis) 13:01

03. Pennies from Heaven (Burke-Johnston) 13:00

04. Cattin (Waldron) 11:59

05. The Happy Blues (Farmer) 12:08

06. The Great Lie (Calloway-Gibson) 8:42

07. Madhouse (McLean) 6:42

 

Sources:

CD 1 - Tracks 1-3, from the album

Jammin with Gene (Prestige PRLP7060)

CD 1 - Tracks 4-7, from the album

Funky (Prestige PRLP 7083)

 

CD 2 - Tracks 1-4, from the album

Jammin in Hi-Fi with Gene Ammons

(Prestige PRLP 7110)

CD 2 - Tracks 5-7, from the album

The Happy Blues (Prestige PRLP 7039)

 

Personnel on 'Jammin' with Gene':

Donald Byrd, Art Farmer (tp); Jackie McLean (as), Gene Ammons (ts); Mal Waldron (p); Doug Watkins (b); Art Taylor (d)

Recorded at Van Gelder Studio, Hackensack, NJ, July 13, 1956

 

Personnel on 'Funky':

Art Farmer (tp), Jackie McLean (as), Gene Ammons (ts), Mal Waldron (p), Kenny Burrell (g), Doug Watkins (b), Art Taylor (d), Jimmy Mundy (arr)

Recorded at Van Gelder Studio, Hackensack, NJ, January 11, 1957

 

Personnel on 'Jammin' in Hi-Fi':

Idrees Sulieman (tp), Jackie McLean (as), Gene Ammons (ts), Mal Waldron (p), Kenny Burrell (g), Paul Chambers (b), Art Taylor (d)

Recorded at Van Gelder Studio, Hackensack, NJ, April 12, 1957

 

Personnel on 'The Happy Blues':

Art Farmer (tp), Jackie McLean (as), Gene Ammons (ts), Duke Jordan (p), Addison Farmer (b), Art Taylor (d), Candido Camero (conga)

Recorded at Van Gelder Studio, Hackensack, NJ, April 23, 1956

 

Original recordings supervised by Bob Weinstock

All sessions engineered by Rudy Van Gelder

Original design & photos by Don Schlitten, Esmond Edwards, Reid Miles, John Hernansader & Tom Hannan

 

This CD release produced by Jordi Pujol

Hi Fidelity · 24-Bit Digitally Remastered

 

Note:

Since the maximum playing time of a CD is 80 minutes, it has been necessary to leave out the track Cant We Be Friends? from the album The Happy Blues. It has been added as a bonus track on the 2-CD set Gene Ammons All Stars (FSR-798).