Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis is heard during two-night club sets (1982) on this CD, one of his last recordings prior to his death in 1986. The gritty yet swinging tenor saxophonist is joined by veteran drummer Oliver Jackson, bassist Ilsa Eckinger, and pianist Gustav Csik during this engagement in Zurich, Switzerland. Davis is in top form, whether playing a brisk blues like "Oh Gee" or an up-tempo swinger such as "S'Wonderful." But Davis is especially enjoyable during the numerous ballad features. Typically starting off each one unaccompanied, his total mastery of the form during his stunning performance of "I Can't Get Started With You" and his lush interpretation of "Misty" demonstrate how much he could do with standards that had already been recorded hundreds of times. This Swiss CD is well worth the extra effort to track down. ~ by Ken Dryden, AMG.
Divox Jazz, CDX 48701-2, 1995
Recorded 19th & 20th
March, 1982 Live at the Widder Bar, Zürich, Switzerland
Musicians:
Eddie "Lockjaw"
Davis - Tenor Saxophone
Gustav Csik - Piano
Isla Eckinger - Bass
Oliver Jackson - Drums
Tracks:
01. Oh Gee {Matthew Gee}
(7:43)
02. I Can't Get Started
{Vernon Duke, Ira Gershwin} (5:17)
03. Comin' Home Baby {Bob
Dorough, Ben Tucker} (6:04)
04. If I Had You {Jimmy
Campbell, Reginald Connelly, Ted Shapiro} (4:44)
05. 'S Wonderful {George
Gershwin, Ira Gershwin} (5:02)
06. Hey Jim {Babs Gonzales,
James Moody} (5:19)
07. Meditation {Norman
Gimbel, Antônio Carlos Jobim, Newton Mendonça} (6:24)
08. Misty {Johnny Burke,
Erroll Garner} (5:06)
09. Speak Low {Ogden Nash,
Kurt Weill} (7:12)
10. Love Is Here To Stay
{George Gershwin, Ira Gershwin} (6:20)
11. Intermission Riff {Ray
Wetzel} (6:20)
Total Time: 65:36
Credits:
Producer, Liner Notes,
Executive-Producer - Arnold Burri
Executive-Producer - Konrad
Baeschlin, Wolfram M. Burgert
Engineer, Recording - Peter
Pfister
Editing - Hans Krüsi
