Eugene "Jug" Ammons (April 14, 1925 – July 23, 1974) also known as "The Bos… Read Full Bio ↴Eugene "Jug" Ammons (April 14, 1925 – July 23, 1974) also known as "The Boss," was an American jazz tenor saxophonist, and the son of boogie-woogie pianist Albert Ammons.

Born in Chicago, Illinois, 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. Notable 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" (1955), featuring Freddie Redd and Lou Donaldson. 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 died in Chicago in 1974, at the age of 49, from cancer.

Ammons and Von Freeman were the founders of the Chicago school of tenor saxophone. Ammons's style of playing showed influences from Lester Young as well as Ben Webster. These artists had helped develop the sound of the tenor saxophone to higher levels of expressiveness. Ammons, together with Dexter Gordon and Sonny Stitt, helped integrate their developments with the emerging "vernacular" of the bebop movement, and the chromaticism and rhythmic variety of Charlie Parker is evident in his playing.

While adept at the technical aspects of bebop, in particular its love of harmonic substitutions, Ammons more than Young, Webster or Parker, stayed in touch with the commercial blues and R&B of his day. For example, in 1950 the saxophonist's recording of "My Foolish Heart" made Billboard Magazine's black pop charts. The soul jazz movement of the mid-1960s, often using the combination of tenor saxophone and Hammond B3 electric organ, counts him as a founder. With a thicker, warmer tone than Stitt or Gordon, Ammons could at will exploit a vast range of textures on the instrument, vocalizing it in ways that look forward to later artists like Stanley Turrentine, Houston Person, and even Archie Shepp. Ammons showed little interest, however, in the modal jazz of John Coltrane, Joe Henderson or Wayne Shorter that was emerging at the same time.

Some fine ballad performances in his oeuvre are testament to an exceptional sense of intonation and melodic symmetry, powerful lyrical expressiveness, and mastery both of the blues and the bebop vernacular that can now be described as, in its own way, "classical."

King Pleasure recorded his vocalese take on Ammons' composition "Hittin' the Jug" under the title "Swan Blues".

"Answer Me, My Love" written by Fred Rauch, Carl Sigman and Gerhard Winkler, performed by Gene Ammons, is featured on the soundtrack for Romance & Cigarettes (2005).
He played on a Bb Conn 10M tenor saxophone with a Brilhart Ebolin mouthpiece.

Ammons is considered a major influence on the style of popular jazz tenor saxophonist Joshua Redman a.o..

Undecided
Gene Ammons Lyrics

We have lyrics for 'Undecided' by these artists:

228k We never felt like we were all the same We never…
Ames Brothers You say it's yes and then it's no You say you'll…
Ames Brothers & Les Brown You say yes Then it's no You say you'll stay Then you go …
Andre Yaniv Even if it's a joke it's still something that's being…
Anita O'Day First you say you do, and then you don't And then…
Bad Patterns Charlie you knew that I wanted to play You were just…
Barrett Deems Billy Kyle Crummy Young Dale Jones Edmond Hall Ella Fitzgerald & Louis Armstrong First you say you do And then you don't And then you…
Beach Craft Bonanza I need it but I don't want it I need it…
Becker & Fagen Hey people I can't seem to make up my mind…

Benny Goodman and His Orchestra First you say you will And then you won't And then you…
Beverly Kenney First you say you do and then you don't Then you…
Bing Crosby & Louis Armstrong First you say you will And then you won't And then you…
Buck Clayton And His All-Stars First you say you will And then you won't And then you…
Capulet I'd like to say just give me a go. And then…
Charlie Barnet and His Orchestra First you say you will And then you won't And then you…
Charlie Byrd Barney Kessel & Herb Ellis First you say you do And then you don't And then you…
Chick Webb First you say you do And then you don't And then you…
Chick Webb & Ella Fitzgerald First you say you do And then you don't And then you…
Chick Webb & His Orchestra/Ella Fitzgerald First you say you will And then you won't And then you…
Chick Webb & Orchestra First you say you do And then you don't And then you…
Chick Webb // Ella Fitzgerald First you say you do And then you don't And then you…
Chick Webb and Ella Fitzgerald First you say you do And then you don't And then you…
Chikita Violenta Doesn't matter what you do Doesn't matter what you say Doesn…
Chris Brown Duh-duh-duh-duh-do-do-do Duh-duh-duh-duh-do-do-do Duh-duh-du…
Chuck Webb and His Orchestra First you say you will And then you won't And then you…
Coleman Hawkins First you say you do And then you don't And then you…
Coleman Hawkins & His All Star Jam Band First you say you do And then you don't And then you…
Coleman Hawkins & His All Stars First you say you do And then you don't And then you…
Coleman Hawkins & Roy Eldridge First you say you do And then you don't And then you…
Coleman Hawkins And Orchestra First you say you will And then you won't And then you…
David "Fathead" Newman/Dee Dee First you say you do And then you don't And then you…
Dee Dee Bridgewater First you say you do And then you don't And then you…
DIR EN GREY 背を向けた二人には居場所など無くて激しく振る雨さえ音は聞こえず背を向けて歩いてく二人のゆく場所足跡が一…
Dir En Grey [ディル・アン・グレイ] Se wo muketa futari ni wa ibasho nado nakute Hageshiku furu…
Dir en Grey⠀ 背を向けた二人には居場所など無くて激しく振る雨さえ音は聞こえず背を向けて歩いてく二人のゆく場所足跡が一…
Earl Hines First you say you do And then you don't And then you…
Ella Fitzgerald First you say you will And then you won't And then you…
Ella Fitzgerald Chick Webb and His Orchestra First you say you do And then you don't And then you…
Ella Fitzgerald & Chick Webb & His Orchestra First you say you will And then you won't And then you…
Ella Fitzgerald and Chick Webb First you say you do And then you don't And then you…
Ella Fitzgerald and Chick Webb and His Orchestra First you say you will And then you won't And then you…
Ella Fitzgerald Chick Webb & His Orchestra First you say you do And then you don't And then you…
Ella Fitzgerald Chick Webb Orchestra First you say you do And then you don't And then you…
Ella Fitzgerald feat. Chick Webb and His Orchestra First you say you do And then you don't And then you…
Ella Fitzgerald With Chick Webb and His Orchestra First you say you will And then you won't And then you…
Ernest Ranglin You pulled up and parked your El Dorado We said "hi"…
Etienne Ozborne Michael) Tired of injustice Tired of the schemes The lies ar…
Fat Nick & Pouya These perkys got me living now If 5 figures try to…
Geraldo & His Orchestra First you say you will And then you won't And then you…
Hank Levine And His Orchestra First you say you do And then you don't And then you…
Harry James & His Orchestra First you say you will And then you won't And then you…
Hawkins Coleman and Roy Eldridge First you say you do And then you don't And then you…
Henry Jerome and His Orchestra First you say you will And then you won't And then you…
Herb Ellis First you say you do And then you don't And then you…
J.A.T.P She the type to lead you on She doesn't stop till…
J.A.T.P. Allstars First you say you do And then you don't And then you…
J.O.Y & The Catabolics First you say you do, and then you don't And then…
Jackie Gleason and His Orchestra First you say you do And then you don't And then you…
Jacynthe Every night when I laid in bed, I can't control the…
James LaBrie Seems that we've lost our innocence The pulpit the teachers …
John Kirby & His Orchestra First you say you will And then you won't And then you…
Justin McRoberts You can't live without me but you can't leave him You're…
Kay-C I'm doing me Why they want me malfunction They want to see…
Kayak Every time you look at me My defence is weaking…
L.I.F.T. I said I changed but then changed back again (Oh…
LaBrie James Seems that we've lost our innocence The pulpit the teachers …
Les Brown You say yes Then it's no You say you'll stay Then you go You…
Les Brown & His Band of Renown; The Ames Brothers You say yes Then it's no You say you'll stay Then you go …
Les Brown and His Band Of Renown You say yes Then it's no You say you'll stay Then you go You…
Les Brown/Ames Brothers You say yes Then it's no You say you'll stay Then you go …
Lionel Hampton First you say you do And then you don't And then you…
Little Anthony First you say you do And then you don't And then you…
Little Anthony And The Imperials First you say you do And then you don't And then you…
Louis Armstrong First you say you will And then you won't And then you…
Louis Armstrong & his All Stars First you say you do And then you don't And then you…
Louis Armstrong & His All‐Stars First you say you will And then you won't And then you…
Louis Prima First you say you do, and then you don't And then…
Louis Prima / Keely Smith / Sam Butera First you say you do, and then you don't And then…
Lucky Thompson with Gérard Pochonet and his Orchestra First you say you do And then you don't And then you…
M.S.C. She the type to lead you on She doesn't stop till…
Malcolm Lockyer And His Orchestra First you say you will And then you won't And then you…
Masters Apprentices You've gotta give me little lovin' honey If you wanna lot…
N.A.O.P. She the type to lead you on She doesn't stop till…
Natalie Cole First you say you do and then you don't, And…
Peter Matz & His Orchestra First you say you will And then you won't And then you…
Phineas Newborn Jr. Trio You take a heart, you break a heart You leave a…
Pouya These perkys got me living now If 5 figures try to…
Ray Anthony & His Orchestra First you say you will And then you won't And then you…
Ray Charles First you say you do And then you don't And then you…
Red Norvo and His Orchestra First you say you will And then you won't And then you…
Roy Eldridge First you say you do And then you don't And then you…
Ruller She coming close she coming close And am afraid yeah am…
Shin In Ryu 천천히 오가는 대화 속에 남는 단어는 몇 개 일까요 구석진 자릴 앉아…
Silverchair Oh, there's no time, To choose for yourself. It's like…
Slurpymundae I've seen all I need to see And I've known the…
Stars After the Storm My life needs a little change The price of living like…
Steely Dan Hey people I can't seem to make up my mind…
Stephane Grappelli / Joe Venuti First you say you do And then you don't And then you…
Stephane Grappelli/Barney Kessel First you say you do And then you don't And then you…
Sweet Comfort Band Undecided Colors never looked so grey When deciding Whether …
Teddy Wilson & Jo Jones First you say you do And then you don't And then you…
The Ames Brothers You say it's yes and then it's no You say you'll…
The Ames Brothers with Les Brown and His Band of Renown You say yes Then it's no You say you'll stay Then you go You…
The Earl Hines Trio First you say you do And then you don't And then you…
The Hi-Liters First you say you will And then you won't And then you…
The Magic Numbers Better not try to beat you tonight if I'm not…
These Fading Visions Unsure of what she really wants Breaks off of those that…
Unwise Please dad, would you tell me what is life about If…
Useless ID Hanging on the display like your'e doing ok. What…
Van Alexander & His Orchestra First you say you will And then you won't And then you…
Venice Is Sinking Decided to be undecided. At least you're being open-minded…
Webb chick First you say you do And then you don't And then you…
X-TV No, I don′t say it often And I probably should've told…
Yellow Second Drink down what I want to be And ever from a…
Youssou N'Dour né japoulo, té bayi wo sé deng, deng dé japoulo, té…

We have lyrics for these tracks by Gene Ammons:

Autumn Leaves The falling leaves drift by the window The autumn leaves of…
Back In Your Own Back Yard We leave home expecting to find a blue bird, Hoping ev'ry…
Back In Your Own Backyard We leave home expecting to find a blue bird, Hoping ev'ry…
Ben Ben, the two of us need look no more, We both…
Body And Soul My heart is sad and lonely For you I sigh, for…
But Beautiful Love is funny or it's sad, Or it's quiet or…
But Not for Me Old man sunshine listen you Never tell me dreams come true …
Bye Bye No one here can love or understand me Oh, what hard…
Calypso Blues Wa-oo-oo, wa-oo-oo, Wa-oo wa-oo wa-oo wa-ay Wa-oo-oo, wa-…
Can Anyone Explain Can anyone explain the thrill of a kiss No! No! No! But…
Canadian Sunset Once I was alone So lonely and then You came, out of…
Didn't We This time we almost made the pieces fit Didn't we? This time…
Easy to Love I know too well that I'm just wasting precious time In…
Exactly Like You I used to have a perfect sweetheart Not a real one,…
For You When you just give love And never get love You'd better le…
Good Bye I remember holdin' on to you All them long and lonely…
Goodbye I remember holdin' on to you All them long and lonely…
Here Maybe I should have saved those left over dreams Funny, but…
I Can't Give You Anything But Love Gee, but it's tough to be broke, kid. It's not a…
I Remember You How did I know that the warmth of the glow…
I Sold My Heart to the Junk Man All over town they're talking about me The whole world knows…
I Want to Be Loved I'm a very ordinary man Trying to work out life's happy…
I'm Beginning to See the Light I never cared much for moonlit skies I never wink back…
If You Are But a Dream If you are but a dream I hope I never waken, It's…
It Don't Mean A Thing It don't mean a thing If it ain't got that swing (doo…
It Might as Well Be Spring I'm as restless as a willow in a windstorm I'm as…
It's the Talk of the Town We were more than lovers, We were more than sweethearts, It'…
It's You Or No One How did I know that the warmth of the glow…
It´S The Talk Of The Town We were more than lovers, We were more than sweethearts, I…
It’s You or No One How did I know that the warmth of the glow…
Jug's Blue Blues Wa-oo-oo, wa-oo-oo, Wa-oo wa-oo wa-oo wa-ay Wa-oo-oo, wa-oo…
Just Friends Just friends, lovers no more Just friends, but not like befo…
Let It Be I'm as restless as a willow in a windstorm I'm as…
Long Ago And Far Away Long ago and far away I dreamed a dream one day And…
Love Is Here to Stay It's very clear, our love is here to stay Not for…
Lucille Lucille, won't you do your sister's will? Oh, Lucille, won't…
Moonglow It must have been moonglow, way up in the blue It…
My Romance My romance doesn't have to have a moon in the…
Namely You You deserve a boy who's willin', namely me. One who'd…
Old Folks Everyone knows him as Old Folks Like the seasons, he'll com…
Once In A While Once in a while will you try to give One little…
Out in the Cold Again The song that you sang so sweetly You called it our…
Pagan Love Song Come with me where moonbeams light Tahitian skies And the st…
Papa Was A Rolling Stone It was the third of September; that day I'll always…
Pennies From Heaven Every time it rains, it rains pennies from heaven Don't you…
Prelude to a Kiss If you hear A song in blue Like a flower crying For the…
Skylark Skylark Have you anything to say to me? Won't you tell me…
Someone to Watch Over Me There's a saying old says that love is blind Still were…
Something I Dreamed Last Night I can't believe that you're not here with me To have…
Song of the Islands Islands of Hawaii Where skies of blue are calling me Where b…
Stairway to the Stars Let's build a stairway to the stars And climb that stairway…
Stormy Monday Blues I had a hard time waking this morning I got a…
Street of Dreams Midnight, you heavy laden, it's midnight Come on and trade …
The Song Is You I hear music when I look at you, A beautiful theme…
Them There Eyes I was just minding my business Life was a beautiful song D…
There Is No Greater Love There is no greater love Than what I feel for you No…
Time On My Hands When the day fades away into twilight The moon is my…
Travellin' Light I'm trav'lin' light Because my man has gone So from now on…
Until The Real Thing Comes Along I'd wait for you I'd slave for you I'd be a beggar…
Where Or When It seems we stood and talked like this before We looked…
Why Was I Born Spending these lonesome evenings With nothing to do But to l…
You Go to My Head You go to my head And you linger like a haunting…
You'd Be So Nice to Come Home to You'd be so nice to come home to You'd be so…

You're Not the Kind You say you're falling in love with me That's why I…

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