Johnny Griffin & Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis - Ow! Live At The Penthouse (1962)

Ow! Live at The Penthouse is a collection of previously-unissued recordings by the supercharged saxophone duo of Johnny Griffin / Eddie “Lockjaw” Davis captured over 2 nights at the famous Penthouse jazz club in Seattle, WA in 1962. Though the tenor sax battle became a fixture of the hard bop era after Dexter Gordon and Wardell Gray established the format with “The Chase” in 1947, no duo was as powerful or as prolific as Davis, a veteran of the Count Basie Orchestra and a popular trio with organist Shirley Scott, and Griffin, noted for his high-voltage work with Thelonious Monk. The pair who became known known as “the Tough Tenors” cut nine LPs – including four live albums caught at Minton’s in New York – for Prestige and Jazzland in 1960-62. This limited-edition deluxe CD set features the potent rhythm section of Horace Parlan on piano, Buddy Catlett on bass and Art Taylor on drums. ~ Bandcamp.com. 

Reel To Reel, RTR-CD-003, 2019
Recorded 30th May (#1-7) & 6th June (#8-15), 1962 Live at The Penthouse, Seattle, WA
Broadcast Live on KING-FM, Seattle, Washington, USA 

Musicians:
Johnny Griffin - Tenor Saxophone
Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis - Tenor Saxophone
Horace Parlan - Piano
Buddy Catlett - Bass
Art Taylor - Drums 

Tracks:
01. Intermission Riff {Ray Wetzel} / Intro By Jim Wilkie (0:53)
02. Blues Up And Down {Gene Ammons, Sonny Stitt} (6:48)
03. Ow! {Dizzy Gillespie} (8:20)
04. Spoken Introduction (0:09)
05. Bahia {Ary Barroso} (8:44)
06. Spoken Introduction (0:05)
07. Blue Lou {Edgar Sampson, Irving Mills} (4:11)
08. Second Balcony Jump {Billy Eckstine, Gerald Valentine} (7:13)
09. Spoken Outro (0:08)
10. How Am I To Know? {Jack King} (10:14)
11. Spoken Introduction (0:09)
12. Sophisticated Lady {Duke Ellington} (4:03)
13. Spoken Introduction (0:09)
14. Tickle Toe {Lester Young} (6:36)
15. Intermission Riff {Ray Wetzel} / Outro By Jim Wilkie (0:56) 

Total Time: 58:45 

Credits:
Producer, Executive Producer, Photo Research, Notes - Cory Weeds
Producer, Photo Research, Notes - Zev Feldman
Associate Producer, Notes - Jim Wilkie, Charlie Puzzo Jr.
Original Recording Engineer - Fred Stimson
Sound Restoration - Chris Gestrin
Mastering [LP] - Bernie Grundman [Hollywood, California]
Photography - Lee Tanner, Esmond Edwards, Burt Goldblatt
Photography [Cover] - Don Schlitten
Art Direction and Design - John Sellards
Album Package Design - Dan Forte
Liner Notes - Ted Panken, Michael Weiss

Johnny Griffin - Return Of The Griffin (1978) [Galaxy - vinyl]

Review by Chris Sheridan, Jazz Journal (UK) July 1980:
This LP, a result of a remarkable three-day session, is Griffin’s finest-ever recording. The power and variety of his playing on every title is awesome, from the compelling gallop through Autumn to the tender balladry of When We Were One; from the funky Dream to the spring-heeled I Should Care. After an almost brusque dismissal of the theme of Autumn, Griffin takes off on a series of choruses that are simply breathtaking until, halfway through, he changes into overdrive! Dream is so perfect an impression of Monk that it could have been written by the master (but, then, Griffin was Trane's successor in Monk's quartet). Fifty-Six (based on This Masquerade Is Over), the longest cut, is another headlong rush of unrelenting invention, contrasting neatly the "walking the bar" tack of The Way It Is. One interesting point emerging from these LPs is that Griffin's timbre has lost the fluffiness of earlier years; another is that he allows more space in his solos nowadays. Most important, though, is that he is probably the strongest tenorist of his generation playing these days, and, in "Return" he has made not only the record of the month, but also of the year.

Autumn Leaves
When We Were One
Monk's Dream
The Way It Is
Fifty-Six
I Should Care

Johnny Griffin (ts) Ronnie Mathews (p) Ray Drummond (b) Keith Copeland (d)
Fantasy Studios, Berkeley, CA, October 17, 1978

Johnny Griffin - To The Ladies (1979) (Galaxy) [vinyl]

Link is still live

Griffin recorded five albums for Galaxy all are of a uniformly high quality, far better than suggested by Scottie's luke warm review:

"Using the same trio that had joined him on NYC Underground (pianist Ron Mathews, bassist Ray Drummond and drummer Idris Muhammad), tenor saxophonist Johnny Griffin sticks exclusively to group originals on this interesting but not essential (and unfortunately out-of-print) LP. Griffin is in excellent form, as usual, but none of the tunes (by the leader, Drummond, and Mathews) caught on; the best is "Soft and Furry," which is taken in three parts." Scott Yanow

Scottie also fails to mention that the composition "Soft and Furry" first appeared on the excellent 1961 Riverside album "Change of Pace", the OJC CD reissue is again out of catalogue!

Miriam
Susanita
Jean Marie
Soft And Furry, Pt. 1
Soft And Furry, Pt. 2
Soft And Furry, Pt. 3
Honey Bucket

Johnny Griffin (ts) Ron Mathews (p) Ray Drummond (b) Idris Muhammad (d)
Fantasy Studios, Berkeley, CA, November 27 & 28, 1979

Ahmed Abdul-Malik - East Meets West (1959)

The late Ahmed Abdul-Malik was best known to jazz listeners as a bassist with Thelonious Monk, Randy Weston, Coleman Hawkins, and many others. He made a few records as a leader, with this one being his most exotic and also the hardest to find. The Brooklyn native was of Sudanese descent; in addition to playing bass on this interesting blend of Middle Eastern instruments with those from the world of jazz, he also plays oud, the forerunner to the lute. The musicians on Malik's eight originals vary from track to track. On the mournful "La Ibky (Don't Cry)," Malik's oud shares the spotlight with a tenor sax (either Benny Golson or Johnny Griffin) plus trumpeter Lee Morgan. "Rooh (The Soul)" features the 72-string kanoon (which is sort of a brittle sounding and much smaller harp) played by Ahmed Yetman, along with Malik's arco bass and the droning violin of Naim Karacand. The Middle Eastern instruments are absent during "Searchin'," which is sort of a hard bop vehicle featuring trombonist Curtis Fuller and Jerome Richardson on flute, along with the tenor sax. "Takseem (Solo)" omits the jazz instruments; the slowness of the variations of the music and rather piercing vocal make it harder for Western ears to comprehend. Not a release of interest to everyone but, for the most part, this fusion of vastly different styles of music is quite enjoyable; it's obvious from the start that the musicians were enjoying themselves as it was recorded. This long out print LP will be difficult to locate. ~ AMG review by Ken Dryden.

I obtained a sealed copy of the LP.

01 - El-Lail (The Night)
02 - La Ikby (Don't Cry)
03 - Takseem (Solo)
04 - Searchin'
05 - Isma'a (Listen)
06 - Rooh (The Soul)
07 - Mahawara (The Fugue)
08 - El Ghada (The Jungle)

Lee Morgan* (t) Curtis Fuller (tb) Jerome Richardson (fl) Benny Golson, Johnny Griffin (ts) Naim Karacand (vln) Ahmed Abdul-Malik (b, oud) Al Harewood (d) Bilal Abdurrahman, Mike Hamway (darabeka) Ahmed Yetman (kannon)
*NYC, March 16, 1959; NYC, March 31, 1959

Johnny Griffin - You Leave Me Breathless (1967)

Griffin moved to Europe in the early 60s, eventually settling in France and enjoying a successful and contented (according to an interview) life there until his death in 2008. This album was one of three recorded by the UK Black Lion company over two nights at the Jazzhus in Copenhagen in 1967. These recordings are typical of Griffin: a mix of blistering high speed attack, inventive and always coherent and some beautiful ballad playing. Technically he had everything, he seemed to be incapable of playing badly and every recording he made is worth seeking out. This is from an Italian LP reissue but I imagine these tracks have found their way to CD somewhere!

01 - Rhythm-A-Ing
02 - Old Folks
03 - Wee
04 - You Leave Me Breathless
05 - Leave Me Alone Blues

Johnny Griffin (ts) Kenny Drew (p) Niels-Henning Orsted Pedersen (b) Albert Heath (d)
Copenhagen, Denmark, March 30 & 31, 1967

Johnny Griffin - Jazz A Confronto 10 (1974) [re-rip>true flac]

On this LP Griffin is featured in a quartet backed by renowned Italian pianist Franco D'Andrea, bassist Giovanni Tommaso and drummer Bruno Biriaco. This album is his only collaboration with D'Andrea, despite spending a number of years on the continent. It's a rhythm section that swings beautifully and remains tight, qualities essential to provide the necessary background to Griffin's playing. However not only do the Italian musicians support his work well their own solos are very effective and are an additional source of interest for this album. Above all the style of Franco D'Andrea and his Trio is very distinct compared with other groups Griffin led whilst in Europe. According to all available discographies this album is the only existing testimony of his playing during all of 1974. The bulk of his European dates were set around 1973 and the recordings held at the Jazzhus Monmartre in Denmark are of great interest to aficionados. The LP consists of two fiery numbers and two slower ballads. Three of the compositions are penned by Griffin; "Keep Going" is written by Giovanni Tommaso. In all this album further demonstrates a master tenorman at work, so give it a spin.

HORO Records, HLL 101-10, 1974

Recorded 7th April, 1974 at “Titania’s Studio”, Rome, Italy

Tracks:

A1. Music Inn Blues {Johnny Griffin} (8:34)

A2. For The Love Of {Johnny Griffin} (8:01)

B1. Always Forever {Johnny Griffin} (7:06)

B2. Keep Going {Giovanni Tommaso} (11:52)

Personnel:

Johnny Griffin - Tenor Saxophone

Franco D'Andrea - Piano

Giovanni Tommaso - Bass

Bruno Biriaco - Drums

Credits:

Director - Andrea Camilleri

Sound Engineer - Massimo di Cicco

Graphic Design - Giorgio Spadanuda

Photos - Ennio Antonangeli

Liner Notes - Marcello Piras

Eddie 'Lockjaw' Davis & Johnny Griffin Quintet - Live! The Midnight Show

Another burner from this legendary quintet... enjoy!!

Prestige PR7330
1964

Bass – Larry Gales
Drums – Ben Riley
Piano – Junior Mance
Tenor Saxophone – Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis, Johnny Griffin

A1   In Walked Bud   6:18
A2   Land Of Dreams   7:40
A3   Beano   6:35
B1   Robbin's Nest   10:00
B2   Our Delight   7:15

Eddie 'Lockjaw' Davis & Johnny Griffin Quintet - The First Set

Here at the Crypt, it's no secret that we love Griff and Jaws.  Personally, Davis would be on my top ten list of favorite tenor players.  He had a swagger and style that simply can't be taught or learned.  That said, one of my favorite working groups - of all time - would most certainly be this fine quintet.

I want to emphasize working, because so many wonderful studio sessions never materialized beyond the mixing board.  Like so many great jazz groups, this combo only lasted a couple years.  I suppose in hindsight that's equivelant to a 15 year stint of a rock band...  jazz years.  The rhythm section had some changes but Mance, Riley and Gales actually stayed on for much of the groups time.  The group were regulars at the legendary NYC club, Mintons.

Luckily, for those of us who couldn't get a seat, Bob Weinstock had the good sense to record these guys doin' their thang.  As great as their studio sessions were, this quintet were at their best when challenged with an audience and a theme.  Lock and Jaws have an unending, gigantic bag of tricks between them - seemingly never without something interesting or passionate to say.  The First Set takes a snapshot of a great moment both in the history of jazz and Minton's.  For anybody relatively new to this album, or this group, I want you to really pay attention to how they tackle the Monk tunes.  Griff aside, I think Davis is sometimes viewed as a "straight ahead" type of player by some jazz fans.  The way Lockjaw filters the brilliance of Monk through his personal style is in itself brilliant.  Monk's music was ultra hip, and in the early 60's there wasn't alot of players who were tackling it.  As we know, this quintet cut a whole side of Monk covers for the Jazzland imprint.

I have all of this group's releases on vinyl, but I took these tracks from my "Complete Live At Minton's" collection.  My album is only a VG, and the remastering done on the CD is fantastic.  I used EAC and ripped it to FLAC 16/44.1... enjoy!!!

Prestige PRLP 7309
1961

Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis, Johnny Griffin - tenor saxophone;  

Junior Mance - piano;  Larry Gales - bass;  Ben Riley - drums

"Billie's Bounce" (Charlie Parker) - 8:43
"Epistrophy" (Thelonious Monk, Kenny Clarke) - 7:17
"Well, You Needn't" (Monk) - 8:58
"I'll Remember April" (Gene de Paul, Patricia Johnston, Don Raye) - 8:05

Eddie Jefferson - Letter From Home

Ahhhh yes.  Sunday, laziest of them all.  Back at our old digs, I was trying to make Sunday about posting something special, yet laid back.  I think I'll bring that idea here, and start the next few weeks by posting vocal and piano based sides.

So I'm opening up with a big one.  I'm sure plenty of you have this or have at least heard it.  No doubt that it's a classic.  Aside from Jefferson's vocalese, there may be a couple of players you recognize from his band. (wink, wink)

All that said, this is presented in marvelous 320 CBR mp3... enjoy!!!







Riverside Records
RLP-411

Ernie Royal, Clark Terry (tp) Jimmy Cleveland (tb) James Moody (as, fl) Johnny Griffin (ts) Arthur Clarke (bars) Joe Zawinul (p) Barry Galbraith (g) Sam Jones (b) Osie Johnson (d) Eddie Jefferson (vo)

Plaza Sound Studios, NYC, December 18, 1961

	Letter From Home
	Things Are Getting Better
	I Feel So Good

Johnny Griffin (ts) Junior Mance (p) Barry Galbraith (g) Sam Jones (b) Louis Hayes (d) Eddie Jefferson (vo)

Plaza Sound Studios, NYC, January 12, 1962

	Billie's Bounce (take 4)
	Soft And Furry
	Keep Walkin' (take 4)
	Bless My Soul

Joe Newman, Ernie Royal (tp) Jimmy Cleveland (tb) James Moody (as, fl) Johnny Griffin (ts) Arthur Clarke (bars) Wynton Kelly (p) Barry Galbraith (g) Sam Jones (b) Osie Johnson (d) Eddie Jefferson (vo)

Plaza Sound Studios, NYC, February 8, 1962

	Take The "A" Train
	Back In Town
	A Night In Tunisia