1951-1953

This CD contains a rousing performance much in the style as the tracks Ammons had cut with his father for Mercury a few years before. "Echo Chamber Blues" with it's eerie sound is not entirely convincing, but such audio experiments were not unusual at the time. "Hot Stuff" is just that, whereas it comes as a surprise that Ammons chose to record "When The Saints..." which was rarely recorded by modernists. Since the saxophonist had made a name for himself by then, Prestige probably asked him to extend his repertory with oldies such as Until The Real Thing Comes Along or Charlie Shavers Undecided, both from the Swing Era. The tracks for Decca are impressive and it is a pity that this was his only session for the label - J.J. Johnson is great here.