Gene Ammons - Nice An' Cool LP

A 1961 set of standards heavy on the ballads, "Nice An' 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' brilliant 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 An' 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.

Titel:
Seite A:
1. Till There Was You
2. Answer Me, My Love
3. Willow Weep For Me
4. Little Girl Blue
Seite B:
1. Something I Dreamed Last Night
2. Something Wonderful
3. I Remember You
4. Someone To Watch Over Me