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 comfortable 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 dry cool that wasn't generally found in jazz, and his driving solos often 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...
Take the A Train...
Just Friends...
Out of Nowhere...
The Shadow of Your Smile...
If I Had You...
And I Can't Get Started...
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 dry cool that wasn't generally found in jazz, and his driving solos often 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...
Take the A Train...
Just Friends...
Out of Nowhere...
The Shadow of Your Smile...
If I Had You...
And I Can't Get Started...
This story appears courtesy of JazzWax by Marc Myers.
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