Gene Ammons - Nice An' Cool (NUMBER 0765, Unsealed)
ORDER LIMITED TO ONE ITEM PER CUSTOMER
Gene Ammons, tenor saxophone [click here to see more vinyl featuring Gene Ammons]
Richard Wyands, piano
Doug Watkins, bass [click here to see more vinyl featuring Doug Watkins]
J.C. Heard, drums
Written by Meredith Willson (A1), Fred Rauch (A2), Gerhard Winkler (A2), Ann Ronell (B1), Lorenz Hart (B2), Richard Rodgers (B2), Sammy Fain (C1), Herb Magidson (C1), Jack Yellen (C1), Oscar Hammerstein II (D1), Richard Rodgers (C2), Johnny Mercer (D1), Victor Schertzinger (D1), George & Ira Gershwin (D2)
2 LP, standard sleeve
Unsealed (mint conditions)
Limited numbered edition - NUMBER 0765
Original analog Master tape : YES
Heavy Press : 180g
Record color : black
Speed : 45 RPM
Size : 12'’
Stereo
Studio
Record Press : RTI
Original Label : Moodsville
Recorded January 26, 1961 at Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey
Engineered by Rudy Van Gelder
Remastered by Kevin Gray
Originally released in 1961
Reissued in 2015
Tracks :
Side A:
- Till There Was You
- Answer Me, My Love
Side B:
- Willow Weep For Me
- Little Girl Blue
Side C:
- Something I Dreamed Last Night
- Something Wonderful
Side D:
- I Remember You
- Someone To Watch Over Me
Reviews :
"A 1961 set of standards heavy on the ballads, Nice 'n Cool is prime Gene Ammons. In front of a sympathetic piano-bass-drums trio (Richard Wyands, Doug Watkins, and the great J.C. Heard, respectively), Ammons' brilliantly soulful tenor saxophone really stretches out on the familiar melodies, but the relatively concise arrangements (all of the eight tracks are between three and eight minutes, with most hovering around the five-minute mark) don't allow him to wander too far afield as he occasionally does on less structured sessions. Nice 'n Cool is first and foremost a mood album, with the unity of sound more important than the individual performances, but Ammons particularly shines on the extended opener, a tender, restrained version of The Music Man's "Til There Was You" that sidesteps the mawkishness of many interpretations in favor of a dignified grace. The backing trio is excellent throughout, although Wyands' too-brief solo passages do make the listener wish that the pianist had been given more of a chance to shine." AllMusic Review by Stewart Mason
Rating:
AllMusic 4/5 , Discogs 4.73 / 5