Two great Jazz musicians together:
Eugene McDuff (September 17, 1926 – January 23, 2001), known professionally as “Brother” Jack McDuff or “Captain” Jack McDuff, was an American jazz organist and organ trio bandleader who was most prominent during the hard bop and soul jazz era of the 1960s, often performing with an organ trio. He is also credited with giving guitarist George Benson his first break.
Born Eugene McDuffy in Champaign, Illinois, McDuff began playing bass, appearing in Joe Farrell’s group. Encouraged by Willis Jackson in whose band he also played bass in the late 1950s, McDuff moved to the organ and began to attract the attention of Prestige while still with Jackson’s group. McDuff soon became a bandleader, leading groups featuring a young George Benson on guitar, Red Holloway on tenor saxophone and Joe Dukes on drums.
McDuff recorded many classic albums on Prestige, including his debut solo Brother Jack in 1960; The Honeydripper (1961), with tenor saxophonist Jimmy Forrest and guitarist Grant Green; Brother Jack Meets The Boss (1962), featuring Gene Ammons; Screamin’ (1962), with alto saxophonist Leo Wright and guitarist Kenny Burrell; and Brother Jack McDuff Live! (1963),[4] featuring Holloway and Benson, which includes his biggest hit, “Rock Candy”.
After his tenure at Prestige, McDuff joined the Atlantic label[1] for a brief period, and in the 1970s he recorded for Blue Note. To Seek a New Home (1970) was recorded in England with a line-up featuring blues shouter Jimmy Witherspoon and some of Britain’s top jazz musicians of the day, including Terry Smith on guitar and Dick Morrissey on tenor saxophone.
Decreasing interest in jazz and blues during the late 1970s and 1980s meant that many jazz musicians went through a lean time.[5] But in 1988, with The Re-Entry, recorded for the Muse label, McDuff once again began a successful period of recordings, initially for Muse, then on the Concord Jazz label in 1991.[1] George Benson appeared on his 1992 Color Me Blue album.
Despite health problems, McDuff continued working and recording throughout the 1980s and 1990s, and he toured Japan with Atsuko Hashimoto in 2000. “Capt’n” Jack McDuff, as he later became known, died of heart failure at the age of 74 in Minneapolis, Minnesota.[2] His first wife, the former Dink Dixon, died in the early 1980s. McDuff leaves his second wife Kathy and her two children. (wikipedia)
Eugene “Jug” Ammons (April 14, 1925 – August 6, 1974), also known as “The Boss”, was an American jazz tenor saxophonist. The son of boogie-woogie pianist Albert Ammons, Gene Ammons is remembered for his accessible music, steeped in soul and R&B.
Born in Chicago, Illinois,[4] Ammons studied music with instructor Walter Dyett at DuSable High School. Ammons began to gain recognition while still at high school when in 1943, at the age of 18, he went on the road with trumpeter King Kolax’s band. In 1944, he joined the band of Billy Eckstine (who bestowed on him the nickname “Jug” when straw hats ordered for the band did not fit), playing alongside Charlie Parker and later Dexter Gordon.
Performances from this period include “Blowin’ the Blues Away,” featuring a saxophone duel between Ammons and Gordon. After 1947, when Eckstine became a solo performer, Ammons then led a group, including Miles Davis and Sonny Stitt, that performed at Chicago’s Jumptown Club. In 1949, Ammons replaced Stan Getz as a member of Woody Herman’s Second Herd, and then in 1950 formed a duet with Sonny Stitt.
The 1950s were a prolific period for Ammons and produced some acclaimed recordings such as The Happy Blues (1956). Musicians who played in his groups, apart from Stitt, included Donald Byrd, Jackie McLean, John Coltrane, Kenny Burrell, Mal Waldron, Art Farmer, and Duke Jordan.
His later career was interrupted by two prison sentences for narcotics possession, the first from 1958 to 1960, the second from 1962 to 1969. He recorded as a leader for Mercury (1947–1949), Aristocrat (1948–1950), Chess (1950–1951), Prestige (1950–1952), Decca (1952), and United (1952–1953). For the rest of his career, he was affiliated with Prestige. After his release from prison in 1969, having served a seven-year sentence at Joliet penitentiary, he signed the largest contract ever offered at that time by Prestige’s Bob Weinstock.
Ammons had the first of two records released by Leonard Chess on the newly-formed Chess Records label in 1950, titled “My Foolish Heart” (Chess 1425); Muddy Waters was the second record, “Rolling Stone” (Chess 1426). Both records were released simultaneously.
Ammons died in Chicago on August 6, 1974, at the age of 49, from bone cancer.[5] He was buried at Lincoln Cemetery in Blue Island, Illinois. (wikipedia)
And … As I wrote: Two great Jazz musicians together:
It is not too surprising that this is a very successful soul-jazz/hard bop outing, for it teams organist Brother Jack McDuff with the great tenor Gene Ammons. The quintet (which also includes the notable Harold Vick on second tenor, guitarist Eddie Diehl and drummer Joe Dukes) performs three basic McDuff tunes, Eddie “Cleanhead” Vinson’s “Mr. Clean,” Horace Silver’s “Strollin’,” and the still-viable swing standard “Christopher Columbus.” Ammons, whose every note was always full of passion, fits in perfectly with McDuff’s group; this accessible set has been reissued on CD. (by Scott Yanow)
Personnel:
Gene Ammons (saxophone on 01., 03 – 06.Titel: A1, A3 to B3)
Eddie Diehl (guitar)
Joe Dukes (drums)
Jack McDuff (organ)
Harold Vick (saxophone)
Tracklist:
01, Watch Out (McDuff) 5.12
02. Strollin’ (Silver) 6.15
03. Mellow Gravy (McDuff) 5.03
04. Christopher Columbus (Prima) 6.24
05. Buzzin’ Round (McDuff/Edwards) 6.15
06. Mr. Clean (Vincent) 8.01
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07. Untitled Track (unknown) 6.11
ManyFantasticColors 