Johnny Griffin & Eddie “Lockjaw” Davis – OW!  – Reel To Reel

by | Nov 27, 2019 | Jazz CD Reviews | 0 comments

Johnny Griffin & Eddie “Lockjaw” Davis – OW! Live At the Penthouse Reel To Reel RTR CD 003 56:38*****

( Johnny Griffin & Eddie “Lockjaw” Davis – tenor saxophones; Horace Parlan – piano; Buddy Catlett – bass; Art Taylor – drums)

There was a period from the late 1940s to the early 1960s, which covered the high water mark of bebop, where duelling and distinctive tenor saxophonists were given free rein to stage competitive battles for the microphone whether in a club or on record. Heavyweights such as Dexter Gordon and Wardell Gray, Gene Ammons and Sonny Stitt, Zoot Sims and Al Cohn, in addition to the two saxophonists featured here, engaged in these activities with a ferocity that tested their musical friendships.

From 1960 to 1962, Johnny Griffin and Eddie “Lockjaw” Davis lead a quintet that had several iterations and they recorded about a dozen albums together primarily for the Jazzland and Prestige labels. Now those two audacious record producers Zev Feldman and Cory Weeds,  have unearthed this gem OW!  Live At The Penthouse which is a wonderful addition to the “Grif and Lock” discography.

Johnny Griffin and Eddie “Lockjaw” Davis were both major exponents of hard bop tenor saxophone playing, but each had an individual style. Griffin, who was diminutive in stature and was given the soubriquet “Little Giant”, was a fearless improvisor whose fluidity over the keys allowed him to tackle the swift tempos of some of the more intricate compositions in the jazz repetoire. Davis, who playing was anchored in the blues style, had a down home tone that was readily identifiable.

In this live session recorded at the Penthouse in Seattle, Washington in May and June  1962, the two tenors dive into a set of tune that are perfectly suited to their talents, backed by a standout rhythm section of pianist Horace Parlan, bassist Buddy Catlett and drummer Art Taylor.

After a brief musical introduction through the use of the band’s theme “Intermission Riff”,  the two tenors take off at breakneck speed on “Blues Up And Down”  which was written by another tenor duo Gene Ammons and Sonny Stitt. The initial solo is by Davis who has much to say in a precise and unerring manner. Griffin follows in a blistering and technically nimble style, all backed by Art Taylor’s intelligent drumming and some creative piano interjections by Horace Parlan.

The title track “Ow!” was written by Dizzy Gillespie that Johnny Griffin initially recorded on the 1958 Riverside recording lead by drummer Philly Joe Jones called Blues For Dracula. It is played here as a brightly boppish number driven by drummer Art Taylor who has a notable sense for groove. Both Davis and Griffin fall in line with solos that pick up the blues theme and carry it forward throughout the number.

“Second Balcony Jump” was written by Billy Eckstine and Gerald Valentine and was included in a 1962 recording by Dexter Gordon and Sonny Clark for Blue Note entitled Go and which has now been recognized by the Library of Congress as a culturally significant recording. While the number is based on the chord changes of I Got Rhythm, the band opens the tune here with reference to Thelonious Monk’s 52nd Street Theme. Propelled by Taylor’s artful drumming, both Davis and Griffin swing through several chorusses filled with rhythmic signature phrases that are both assertive and imaginative. 

In 1929, Jack King and Dorothy Parker wrote “How Am I To Know” which was to become a popular music classic. Over the years it was covered by a multitulde of both popular and jazz artists, including Billie Holiday, Stan Kenton, Red Norvo and Bill Evans among others. Griffin and Davis had recorded the tune earlier in 1962 for their album Tough Tenor Favorites. This live recording moves along at a brisk pace with Taylor’s ride cymbal pushing the band along. Both Davis and Griffin take stellar solos in their usual full throttled approach.

Pianist Parlan is especially effective here showing abundant imagination. It should be noted that Parlan’s inventive playing is accomplished in spite of what would generally be considered an impeding physical disability. Striken by polio in his youth, he suffered a partially crippled right hand. Consequently all his solo work is done by his left hand, with the right providing the rhythmic phrases.

For a change of pace, the Duke Ellington standard “Sophisticated Lady” is given a lovely ballad reading as a feature for Johnny Griffin. Although not generally known for ballads, that is not to say he cannot adapt to that style. By his effortless phrasing and endless ideas, he evokes the knowledge of the tenor sax in the tradition Webster and Hawkins to deliver the goods.

The album closes with a Lester Young flag waver entitled “Tickle Toe”. The number is firmly associated with the Count Basie Band with whom “Lockjaw” Davis spent several distinct periods including 1952-53, 1957, 1964-66, and 1967-73. The tenors use the frame of the theme to display their tremendous capabilities as unison players and when their solo turns arise they exhibit their articulate expertise. All in all, it is a terrific closer.

Finally, this session will be released as a 180 gram vinyl double LP on November 29,2019. Regardless of format, it’s a keeper.

TrackList: Intermission Riff; Blues Up And Down; OW!; Bahia; Blue Lou; Second Balcony Jump; How Am I To Know?; Sophisticated Lady; Tickle Toe; Intermission Riff

—Pierre Giroux




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