(ASV)
RECOMMENDED
Albert Ammons was one of the pioneers of boogie woogie as a commercial music, a pianist who legendarily backed Joe Turner at Carnegie Hall in 1938 and successfully sold the world on a new sort of dance music, one of the major building blocks of rock & roll. He played the blues for his entire life, but his career was kick started after he met fellow pianist Lux Lewis while working as a cab driver in the '20s. His bending, funky variation on the sort of material Fats Waller was playing at the time would catapult his career; he'd ultimately collaborate with Benny Goodman, among many other legends, and would play at Harry Truman's second inauguration in 1949. Sadly, that same year he'd succumb to failing health and die all too young, meaning he'd never live to see his innovations vindicated as a crucial element in a new force of artistic expression, his improvisation and style set to shadow the decades to follow.
Fortunately, he left behind a treasured body of work, and this budget-line CD is a fantastic sampler that remains entertaining and propulsive for more than seventy minutes (though I'd advise you to divide it in half for comfortable listening). It's jazz with a cheeky kick, dance music with impeccable craft and enthusiasm. Ammons is a top-level piano player, and his work takes center stage against some formidable collaborators here, from Lewis and Turner to Pete Johnson and trumpet player Harry James. The occasional tinge of melancholy to "St. Louis Blues," "Sixth Avenue Express" and "Chicago in Mind" only enhances the utter joy in "Bass Goin' Crazy," "Boogie Woogie Stomp," and the million seller "Swanee River Boogie." They're all a blast, and the groove's never dated. Introduce yourself to Ammons now if you haven't already.
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