01	The Party'S Over						05:47
	02	I Want To Be Loved (But By Only You)						04:02
	03	Things Ain'T What They Used To Be						04:32
	04	Lascivious						04:31
	05	Makin' Whoopee						05:05
	06	Soft Winds						05:52
	07	Lullaby Of The Leaves						05:34

Late Hour Special
Date of Release Jun 13, 1961 - Apr 13, 1962
Styles Soul-Jazz, Hard Bop

Originally released by Prestige while tenor saxophonist Gene Ammons was serving a long prison sentence for possession of drugs (the label effectively kept Ammons' name alive by regularly coming out with "new" material), this album was reissued on CD in 1997. The distinctive tenor is heard on three numbers with a quartet/quintet also including pianist Patti Bown, bassist George Duvivier, drummer Walter Perkins and sometimes Ray Barretto on conga, and on four cuts as part of a ten-piece group arranged by Oliver Nelson. Flugelhornist Clark Terry gets a couple of choruses on "Things Ain't What They Used to Be," and Bown has several solos, but Ammons is the main star throughout. In addition to performing his own "Lascivious" (a blues), Jug sticks to standards, infusing each tune with soul and swing. A fine outing, although with brief (35 1/2 minutes) playing time. - Scott Yanow

1. The Party's Over - 5:42
2. I Want to Be Loved (But by Only You) (Churchill) - 3:57
3. Things Ain't What They Used to Be (Ellington/Persons) - 4:28
4. Lascivious - 4:27
5. Makin' Whoopee (Donaldson/Kahn) - 5:00
6. Soft Winds - 5:48
7. Lullaby of the Leaves (Petkere/Young) - 5:34

Ray Barretto - Conga
Gene Ammons - Sax (Tenor)
Red Holloway - Sax (Tenor)
Oliver Nelson - Arranger, Conductor, Sax (Alto)
Walter Perkins - Drums
Patti Bown - Piano
Billy Gene English - Drums
Richard Wyands - Piano
George Duvivier - Bass
Bob Ashton - Sax (Baritone)
George Barrow - Sax (Tenor)
Clark Terry - Trumpet
Hobart Dotson - Trumpet
Esmond Edwards - Supervisor
Rudy Van Gelder - Engineer
Wendell Marshall - Bass
Dan Morgenstern - Liner Notes
Joe Tarantino - Remastering

LP Prestige 7287
1964 Prestige PRST-7287
1997 CD Original Jazz Classics 942






Gene Ammons
AKA real name: Eugene Ammons
Born Apr 14, 1925 in Chicago, IL
Died Aug 6, 1974 in Chicago, IL
Styles Hard Bop, Soul-Jazz, Bop
Instruments Sax (Tenor)

by Scott Yanow

Gene Ammons, who had a huge and immediately recognizable tone on tenor, was a very flexible player who could play bebop with the best (always battling his friend Sonny Stitt to a tie) yet was an influence on the R&B world. Some of his ballad renditions became hits and, despite two unfortunate interruptions in his career, Ammons remained a popular attraction for 25 years.

Son of the great boogie-woogie pianist Albert Ammons, Gene Ammons (who was nicknamed "Jug") left Chicago at age 18 to work with King Kolax's band. He originally came to fame as a key soloist with Billy Eckstine's orchestra during 1944-1947, trading off with Dexter Gordon on the famous Eckstine record Blowing the Blues Away. Other than a notable stint with Woody Herman's Third Herd in 1949 and an attempt at co-leading a two tenor group in the early '50s with Sonny Stitt, Ammons worked as a single throughout his career, recording frequently (most notably for Prestige) in settings ranging from quartets and organ combos to all-star jam sessions. Drug problems kept him in prison during much of 1958-1960 and, due to a particularly stiff sentence, 1962-1969. When Ammons returned to the scene in 1969, he opened up his style a bit, including some of the emotional cries of the avant-garde while utilizing funky rhythm sections, but he was still able to battle Sonny Stitt on his own terms. Ironically the last song that he ever recorded (just a short time before he was diagnosed with terminal cancer) was "Goodbye."


1950 All-Star Sessions Original Jazz
1951 Gene Ammons Favorites, Vol. 2 Prestige
1951 Didn't We Prestige
1951 Gene Ammons Favorites, Vol. 3 Prestige
1952 Golden Saxophone Savoy
1954 With or Without EmArcy
1955 Sock! Prestige
1956 Hi Fidelity Jam Session Prestige
1956 The Happy Blues Prestige/OJC
1956 Jammin' with Gene Prestige/OJC
1957 Funky Original Jazz
1957 The Twister Prestige
1957 Jammin' in Hi Fi with Gene Ammons Prestige/OJC
1958 Gene Ammons All Stars Prestige
1958 Groove Blues Prestige/OJC
1958 Big Sound Original Jazz
1958 Blue Gene Original Jazz
1960 Boss Tenor Prestige/OJC
1960 Velvet Soul Prestige
1960 Angel Eyes Prestige
1961 Nice 'n Cool Moodsville
1961 Jug Original Jazz
1961 Soul Summit, Vol. 2 Prestige
1961 Late Hour Special Original Jazz
1961 Soul Summit Prestige
1961 Groovin' with Jug Pacific Jazz
1961 Dig Him Argo
1961 We'll Be Together Again Prestige/OJC
1961 Boss Tenors: Straight Ahead from Chicago 1961 Verve
1961 Live! In Chicago Prestige
1961 Live! In Chicago Prestige
1961 Prime Cuts Verve
1961 Boss Soul Prestige
1961 Up Tight! Prestige
1961 Twistin' the Jug Prestige
1961 Juggin' Around Chameleon
1962 Soul Summit, Vol. 1 Prestige
1962 Boss Tenors in Orbit Verve
1962 Blue Groove Prestige
1962 Preachin' Prestige/OJC
1962 Jug & Dodo Prestige
1962 Jungle Soul Prestige
1962 Bad! Bossa Nova Original Jazz
1969 Brother Jug Prestige
1969 The Boss Is Back Prestige
1970 Night Lights Prestige
1970 The Chase! [live] Prestige
1970 Black Cat Prestige
1970 Something Prestige
1970 My Way Prestige
1971 You Talk That Talk Prestige
1971 You Talk That Talk Prestige
1971 Chicago Concert [live] Prestige
1972 Free Again Prestige
1972 Big Bad Jug Prestige
1972 Got My Own Prestige
1973 Gene Ammons and Friends at Montreux [live] Prestige
1973 Brasswind Prestige
1973 Together Again for the Last Time Prestige
1974 Goodbye Original Jazz
2001 God Bless Jug and Sonny Prestige
2002 Boss Tenors in Orbit [Deluxe Edition] Verve
2002 Tenor Eleven Past Perfect
2003 Fine and Mellow Prestige
Gene Ammons Jam Sessions, Vol. 2