Jungle Soul

I was pretty happy to find this side by Gene Ammons last weekend. I've been playing the tune "Ca' Purange" in bands for the last several years, but had yet to hear his version, which I'm fairly certain is the one the tenor player who ran the group was copping.

Jungle Soul, which has apparently also been released as Bad! Bossa Nova, has to be among Ammons' best albums. The group is tight, each of the compositions has a unique character to it, and furthermore each fits with the others to make an album that has a strong concept. The lineup is great too:
Gene Ammons (ts) Hank Jones (p) Bucky Pizzarelli (spanish-g) Kenny Burrell (g) Norman Edge (b) Oliver Jackson (d) Al Hayes (bgo) New York, September 9, 1962

The group creates this light, funky "jungle" feel without any of the exotica trappings of "jungle" used by most back then. Jackson uses a lot of sidestick and links with Hayes' hand drumming without ever playing a rhythm one could identify as coming from a particular culture. Pizzarelli and Burrell lock into these fantastic staccato strumming patterns while Jones tends to hook up with Norman Edge's simple, spacious vamps. Best of all, Ammons just camps out on top, playing the kind of beefy laid-back tenor that sends guys like me to record stores 45 years later. Give thanks!

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