Boss Tenor

Description

Part of the ultimate audiophile Prestige stereo reissues from Analogue Productions 25 of the most collectible, rarest, most audiophile-sounding Rudy Van Gelder recordings ever made. All cut at 33 1/3 and also released on Hybrid SACD

All mastered from the original analog master tapes by mastering maestro Kevin Gray. 180-gram LPs pressed at Acoustic Sounds state-of-the-art pressing plant, Quality Record Pressings, plated by Gary Salstrom

Deep groove label pressings, tip-on jackets on thick cardboard stock

First 250 LP copies of each title will be numbered editions and will only be available to series subscribers

Both are gorgeous impressions of soul, jazz and blues, brought together through the legacy of standards and new compositions. The tonality of Gene Ammons in particular is transfixing and it is with the stereo reissues from Prestige that Gene will get a lot of love with multiple titles scheduled for release. Booker Ervin was another great tenor sax player and his contributions to the Prestige vaults are timeless with Exultation!. Erik Otis, Sound Colour Vibration, May 9, 2015.

For nearly a quarter-century, beginning in 1950, tenor saxophonist Gene Ammons (1925-1974) was among the brightest stars in the Prestige Records firmament. Whether leading, or partaking in, one of Prestiges jam sessions, immersing himself in the organ-dominated blues and gospel grooves that in the 1950s came to be called soul jazz, or digging deep for heart-rending ballads, Ammons was multiply masterful. And in 1960, leading a quintet featuring the impeccable pianist Tommy Flanagan, plus Ray Barrettos piquant congas, he produced the insuperable Boss Tenor.

From the blues that drips from Hittin the Jug and Blue Ammons to the infectious medium bounce of the standards Close Your Eyes and Canadian Sunset, and from the sophisticated swing of Stompin at the Savoy to the finger-poppin bop of Confirmation and the after-hours balladry of My Romance, Boss Tenor has something for everyone claiming to be a fan of modern jazz.