EDDIE "LOCKJAW" DAVIS
Prestige Profiles Vol. 10

 

Eddie “Lockjaw” Davis is frequently seen as a tenor saxophonist who provides a direct link from the Big Band era of the 1940s and the soul jazz phenomena of the later 1950s. Davis is certainly not the only such link (Illinois Jacquet and Gene Ammons spring to mind), but he certainly was one of the most popular and beloved. The sessions on Davis’ entry in the Prestige Profiles series range from 1958 to 1962 and prominently feature the Davis/Shirley Scott group with Scott on organ, George Duvivier on bass, and Arthur Edgehill on drums. Davis also recorded a series of collaborations with Johnny Griffin that were released on Prestige and reissued by Fantasy under the OJC imprint, but no selections are included here from those discs.

The Davis/Scott Prestige recordings did much to help popularize the tenor/organ combo that would become a staple of the 1960s soul jazz sound. Scott’s organ style, particularly behind soloists, is rhythmically pungent, and the group added spice by bringing in additional musicians, such as trombonist Steve Pulliam on the opener “Intermission Riff” (from the album Jaws In Orbit), or percussionist Ray Baretto on conga, or Jerome Richardson on flute. The tracks here range from the affable “Intermission Riff” to the swing for the fences approach of “Last Train From Overbrook” to superior ballad work on “Willow Weep For Me” and the Coleman Hawkins vehicle “Body and Soul.” Davis had a few things in common with Coleman Hawkins, who finished out his recording career on Prestige. Like Hawkins, Davis had been associated with a bygone jazz era (Hawkins with swing, Davis with Big Bands), but had kept abreast of developments in the music and kept their recording careers going for their entire lives. In addition, both Davis and Hawkins understood the blues based R&B tenor style that had evolved in the 1950s. Davis once called Hawkins “the last of the great honkers.”

Both “The Rev” and “The Chef” feature Jerome Richardson on flute, a welcome counterpoint to Davis’ brawny tenor. Richardson, a great alto player as well, was highly influenced by Benny Carter and Johnny Hodges, and the same year these tracks were recorded he released his own album as a leader, titles Midnight Oil, on Prestige. Other Prestige releases included Roamin’ With Richardson and co-billing on the Tiny Grimes album Tiny In Swingsville. The final track, a slow blues entitled “In the Kitchen” also features Richardson along with the regular Davis/Scott ensemble. Also included is an outstanding big band date recorded in 1960. The song is Oliver Nelson’s “Trane Whistle,” originally composed for John Coltrane and arranged here by Nelson and Ernie Wilkins. Featured in the band are Melba Liston and Jimmy Cleveland (trombones), Clark Terry, Richard Williams, Bobby Bryant (trumpets), Jerome Richardson, Oliver Nelson, Eric Dolphy, George Barrow, Bob Ashton (reeds), Richard Wyands (piano), Wendell Marshall (bass), and Roy Haynes (drums). Davis plays a great solo turn on this number, demonstrating that he could still solo in front of a big band like few other tenor men.

The bonus disc is a gold mine of soul jazz performances from the likes of Gene Ammons, Brother Jack McDuff (with a young George Benson in tow), Willis Jackson, Richard “Groove” Holmes, Houston Person, Roland Kirk, Jimmy Forrest, and, yes, Shirley Scott.