Johnny Griffin & Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis Ow! Live at the Penthouse

Johnny Griffin & Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis
Ow! Live at the Penthouse
Reel To Real

This is the latest production by Zev Feldman and Corey Weeds from previously unissued radio airchecks from Seattle's Penthouse jazz club. It presents nearly an hour of the two tenor saxophone jazz (recorded over two weekends), Johnny Griffin and Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis with a rhythm section of Horace Parlan on piano, Seattle bassist Buddy Catlett, and Art Taylor on drums.

For those not familiar with the music of Griffin and Davis, there is plenty of hot tenor saxophone backed by a great rhythm section. As James Carter observes in an interview included in the marvelous liner booklet, it is Davis (out of the Hawkins-Webster school of tenor saxophones) generally takes the first solo, with Griffin taking the later solo, often displaying his ability to play at a blistering speed. In any event, this is music for the heart and not the head starting with a torrid rendition of the Gene Ammons-Sonny Stitt classic "Blues Up and Down." It is followed by a rollicking take on Dizzy Gillespie's "Ow!" Of course, the two tenor saxophones are not the only attraction. Parlan was one of the great pianists, as shown on his solo after Davis' opening solo on 'Bahia." Then there is a spirited "Blue Lou," on which both (but especially Griffin) dazzle with the speed they play. Energized renditions of Billy Eckstine's "Second Balcony Jump" and Lester Young's "Tickle Toe" are complemented by the walking groove of "How Am I To Know?" and the exquisite ballad-playing on Duke Ellington's "Sophisticated Lady."

In addition to the superlative music, the accompanying booklet provides considerable background on their partnership and music. Commentary from Michael Weiss, James Carter, and Kenny Washington add special insight into the music. This is terrific steak and potatoes jazz and will be welcome to the fans of Griffin and Davis, whose music stands up nearly a half-century later.

I purchased this. Here Johnny Griffin & Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis are heard in Scandanavia.

Stanley Turrentine's "Salt Song" Part of Celebration of 40 Years Of CTI

Part of the celebration of the 40th Anniversary of CTI, Sony through its CTI Masterworks imprint has issued Salt Song by Stanley Turrentine. CTI was a good choice to showcase Turrentine’s blues-rooted attack and soulful sound and at this July 1971 recording he was joined in Rudy Van Gelder’s Studios by a band that included Ron Carter, Bill Cobham, Airto Moreira, Horace Parlan, Richard Tee and Eric Gale, among others

Freddie Hubbard’s Gibraltar is a straight-ahead swinger that showcases Turrentine warm, robust playing. Eric Gale’s blues tinged guitar provides a nice second solo voice with Airto adds percussion accents. The traditional gospel number I Told Jesus employs strings and a vocal chorus with Gale’s spare, bluesy guitar providing a foil for Turrentine’s vocalized tenor sax. Milton Nascimento’s title track has a Brazilian flavor with a lightly swaying groove as Turrentine solos vigorously. Turrentine, in addition to his blues roots (from the days touring with bluesman Lowell Fulson), was a superb ballad player as exhibited on I Haven’t Got Anything Better to Do, with strings added to presumably add a lush background. Turrentine’s atmospheric “Storm” closed out the original release. A bonus track is a lively boss nova, Vera Cruz from the album, Gilberto With Turrentine, with a fuller band having full flute and full string sections and arrangement by Emir Deodata.

This is a typically solid recording by Turrentine in a straight-ahead vein. While there was some sweetening to some of the music heard here, it was not done heavy-handedly and the result is a recording that sounds fine four decades later.

My review copy was provided by a publicist for this release.