Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis with Shirley Scott - Moodsville Volume 4 (1960) [vinyl>flac]

Among the finest Moodsville recordings, and there were quite a few, were the ones by tenor saxophonist Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis. During the late '50s and early '60s, the tough tenor was a hard-charging exclamation point whether backed by a trio, a soul-gospel organ or Count Basie's band. But on ballads - really slow ones - Davis had room to snort, shove notes around and proudly exhibit his huge, bossy sound on the reed instrument. In January 1960, Davis recorded on the Moodsville label with Shirley Scott. Known primarily for her work on the Hammond organ, Scott here plays piano, which gives you a chance to hear her in a different space. The pair was supported exquisitely by bassist George Duvivier and drummer Arthur Edgehill. Each of the 8 songs featured virtually the exact same seductive walking tempo, and all the songs were standards that suited Davis perfectly. Great players like Davis and Scott could leave a cloud of dust when playing up-tempo. But they also could break your heart on the crawlers. This is a fine example of that side of their personalities, particularly the clarity of their improvisation and Davis' gruff touches. I'm not sure why Prestige hasn't reissued all of these Moodsville albums in a set, but such is life. You'll find seven of the tracks on Moodsville, Vol. 4 on Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis with Shirley Scott: The Complete Cookbook Sessions. While it's not as "complete" as the title would lead you to believe, since not all the Moodsville, Vol 4 tracks are here, but the sound is absolutely fantastic. ~ Extract by Marc Myers, JazzWax.

Moodsville Records, MVLP 4, 1960

Recorded 31^st January, 1960 At Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey

Musicians:

Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis - Tenor Saxophone

Shirley Scott - Piano

George Duvivier - Bass

Arthur Edgehill - Drums

Tracks:

A1. Serenade In Blue {Harry Warren, Mack Gordon} (4:07)

A2. It Could Happen To You {Jimmy Van Heusen, Johnny Burke} (5:32)

A3. What's New {Bob Haggart, Johnny Burke} (3:49)

A4. I Cover The Waterfront {Edward Heyman, Johnny Green} (5:28)

B1. The Man I Love {George Gershwin, Ira Gershwin} (4:14)

B2. Smoke Gets In Your Eyes {Jerome Kern, Otto Harbach} (4:24)

B3. The Very Thought Of You {Ray Noble} (6:15)

B4. Man With A Horn {Eddie de Lange, Jack Jenney, Bonnie Lake} (4:23)

Total Time: 38:12

Credits:

Recording Engineer - Rudy van Gelder

Liner Notes - Ron Eyre

For further insight into Shirley Scott see: Interview with Marian McPartland

MP3 Pro recording of this included in archive.