One Cut: 'Hittin' the Jug' (OT)

A jazz cut to download: "Hittin' the Jug" by Gene Ammons, a rich, slow, bluesy rainy-day number that shows off Ammons' famous burnished tone. Two of the three places on iTunes this cut is listed are marked "View," for "view album" or "album only," meaning you can only get the cut if you buy the whole album. But if you search under the song name, or go to the album called "Blue Ammons," you can buy the eight-and-a-half minute piece for 99¢. Try it, see if you like it.

If you want an album around it, I suggest "Boss Tenor," a quintet session from 1960 and probably the best Gene Ammons album. Which is saying something.

Recorded by Rudy Van Gelder, and part of the Prestige 50th Anniversary Commemorative series.

...By the way, April is Jazz Appreciation Month!

Mike

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Original contents copyright 2011 by Michael C. Johnston and/or the bylined author. All Rights Reserved.

Featured Comment by Anthony Miller: "Great track—excellent intro and comping from Tommy Flanagan on piano. Looking forward to 'Jazz Appreciation Month.'"

Mike replies: The intro was the reason I chose it—Jug's entrance is a nice moment I never get tired of. And Tommy Flanagan is underrated, isn't he?

Featured Comment by Will Whitaker: "Ammons sure got a large format sound out of a medium format instrument."

Comments

[Joe]

If you just want to listen and see if you like it, try searching for the song name on grooveshark.

[Bill Pearce]

Speaking of jazz and photos, if you have al;ready mentioned this and I misssed it, sorry. Just stopped in at my friendly locally owned bookseller to get my usual Sunday NYT. There were a stack of books titled something like "The Jazz Loft Project." Included are many of Eugene Smith's photos from his loft, although you will need to get recordings separately, in my case Amazon.

Looks goo, and I'll get onw in the next couple of days, as I didn't have cash or check available.

Thanks,

Bill Pearce

[Walter Baron]

Mike - thanks for this one. My father played the tenor for about 50 years, and once he told me that you have to sing into the horn to really make a sound. This guy knows how to make a horn sing.

[Steve Rosenblum]

Very nice!

[David Bostedo]

Surprised to see you reference iTunes Mike, when the same things are available on Amazon, and presumably would get you some money if purchased through your link. Just sayin'.

See it here on Amazon

[grant kench]

Can May be Prog Rock month? We could look at album art. See http://www.porcupinetree.com/multimedia.cfm
for example.

[Sam]

...or if you're Down Under, Apple Australia thinks it's ok to charge A$1.69 for the same track, despite the exchange rate hitting 30 year highs of 1.03 ... which would be A$0.96 for the US$0.99 track. Don't get me started about Apple hardware price inequalities ... Sigh.

Great track Mike, BTW. For a more modern (1999) suggestion, have you heard Ethan Iverson - great trio with Reid Anderson (of Bad Plus fame) and Billy Hart on The Minor Passions ... http://itunes.apple.com/au/album/the-minor-passions/id271301740, or with Bill McHenry on tenor in Live at Smalls ... http://itunes.apple.com/au/album/live-at-smalls/id271296431

[Sean]

"Tune? This is Jazz"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hSQVvjiXxJU&NR=1

[Anthony Miller]

Flanagan is underrated - he played on some great albums - Straight Life, Saxophone Colossus and Giant Steps. I always like a musician who straddles both swing and bebop as he seems to do.

[Mike Johnston]

Sean,
I don't get your criticism. What's not tuneful about "Hittin' the Jug"? It's a very pretty piece, and not pseudo-avant-garde in the least.

Mike

[Mike Johnston]

Sam,
It costs a lot more to import a song to Australia. They have to be loaded onto pallets in Cupertino, transferred to containers, then off for the long freighter voyage. On the far end, the longshoreman's union has to get its cuts, there are "import duties" to be paid, and the cost of trucking to the various parts of far-flung Australia have to be amortized. Plus, some cushion for currency fluctuation has to be built in, lest the importers be left holding the bag after risking that considerable investment. It's amazing AU$1.69 is all you have to pay!

Mike

[Sean]

I'm not having a go, Mike.

I just love that sketch. They didn't really feel that way about Jazz and nor do I

[Patrick Snook]

Good to hear this. Fine timbre. Nice piano too. Sleepy Anderson? Sounds kin to Errol Garner.

Patrick

[tim-j]

Mike, thank you for the pointer to Gene Ammons; I had not heard of him. My ignorance embarrasses me -- sometimes! I've got "The Gene Ammons Story: Gentle Jug" coming through the speakers as I wrtie, courtesy of we7 (a music streaming website, free but with ads). "Boss tenor" is coming up shortly. Haven't got the words to express my appreciation of the music properly, but I am very grateful to you. Cheers!

[tim-j]

"wrtie" is what I do; what you do is write...

[Peter Robinson]

Boss Tenor just bought from Amazon UK on download for the grand total of £3.99. Can't argue with that. Thanks for the recommendation Mike.

[Christopher Lane]

Speaking of Jazz Appreciation Month, you can buy this stamp to put on your snail mail or collect.

www.usps.com/communications/newsroom/2011/pr11_027.pdf

[Ron W]

One of the Chess Records first big hits was Ammons' recording of "My Foolish Heart" which was a favoite recording of Billie Holiday. Love his early recordings for Prestige as well as argo and among latter recordings, "The Chase"on Prestige (now Original jazz Classics) is shared with Dexter Gordon and includes revivals of the title tune (originally Dexter and Wardell Gray) and "Blowing the Blues Away" that they did as part of the Billy Eckstine Big Band. In addition to these two tenor battles, each has two solo features on this live recording. The late blues saxophonist-vocalist A.C. Reed was a big fan of Ammons.

[Dan]

Thanks for the suggestion Mike. After hearing the playlist on Amazon, I decided to buy the LP in vinyl. Found it at The Jazz Loft.