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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.
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