Ironically,
Gene "Jug" Ammons tended to be critical of organists; he was quoted as saying that "organ players don't know any changes." However, as critical the Chicago tenor saxman might have been of organists -- most of them, anyway -- he did some of his best work in their presence. When you united
Ammons with
Jack McDuff,
Johnny "Hammond" Smith and other B-3 masters in the '60s, the sparks would fly. They certainly fly on this excellent album, which finds
Ammons and
Richard "Groove" Holmes co-leading a soul-jazz/hard bop organ combo that also includes guitarist
Gene Edwards and drummer
Leroy Henderson. The quartet is heard in two settings on August 15, 1961 -- three of the eight selections were produced by
Richard Bock in a Los Angeles studio in the afternoon, while the other five were recorded several hours later an L.A. club called
the Black Orchid.
Ammons and
Holmes prove to be a strong combination in both settings, although their playing is somewhat looser at
the Orchid, where the delights include some slow blues (
Ammons' "Hittin' the Jug"), a smoky ballad ("Willow Weep for Me") and a lightning-fast barnburner (
Ammons' "Juggin' Around"). However critical
Ammons might have been of most organists, it's obvious that he and
Holmes share a lot of common ground on Groovin' With Jug. ~ Alex Henderson, All Music Guide
