Reprinted from http://jazzwax.com
When the Count Basie Orchestra toured in the late 1950s and 1960s, audiences eagerly awaited solos by tenor saxophonist Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis. On songs where he was featured, Davis would rise eagerly out of the sax section, move to the microphone with a casual swagger, put the instrument to his mouth as if he were going to smoke it and let loose with an hard-wailing, continuous stream that was half R&B and half jazz. Here's Davis in action on the BBC with Basie in 1965 on Jumpin' at the Woodside…
- See more at: http://www.jazzwax.com/2013/11/video-eddie-lockjaw-davis.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Jazzwax+%28JazzWax%29#sthash.BAK7HIVd.dpuf
Used with permission by Marc Myers
Wednesday, November 13, 2013
Video: Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis
Sunday, July 28, 2013
Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis: 1985
Reprinted from http://jazzwax.com
A year before his death in 1986, Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis was in Copenhagen on tour with a quartet. For those unfamiliar with "Lockjaw" (or "Jaws"), the tenor saxophonist was a spectacular soloist dating back to the '40s, when his gruff, pushy style was admired and adopted by R&B honkers. Originally an East Coast bebopper, "Lockjaw" recorded many small-group albums in the '50s with organists and with saxophonist Johnny Griffin. But "Jaws" was always most at home soloing in front of a swinging big band, particularly Count Basie's in the late '50s and into the '60s and beyond.
What I've always loved about "Lockjaw's" playing is his biting aggression and aesthetic cockiness. Whether carrying his saxophone like a toy in one hand to the front of a stage for a solo or resting its shiny neck on his shoulder, "Lockjaw" in person exuded a level of cool that wasn't generally found in jazz, and his driving solos always exceeded his brazen showmanship.
Even at age 63, with just months left to live, "Lockjaw" put on a quite show in Denmark. Here are six clips from that gig featuring Niels Jørgen Steen on piano, Jesper Lundgaard on bass and Ed Thigpen on drums...
Read more: http://www.jazzwax.com/2013/07/eddie-lockjaw-davis-1985.html
Used with permission by Marc Myers
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