Today I spun three Eddie Lockjaw Davis cds.
First was an MPS cd of the Eddie Lockjaw Davis/Johnny Griffin Quintet "Tough Tenors." Griff is a fantastic partner for Lock, no wonder they were a team for a spell. Lockjaw really shines here, sparred on by Griff who shares both his joie de vivre attitude and his joie de jouer energy.
Then it was on to the Steeplechase cd "All of Me" by Eddie Lockjaw Davis. Kenny Drew is fantastic on this one. It's plain that they worked out nice arrangements that they enjoy playing. The Danish drummer is exciting as well.
Then on to a Prestige twofer cd, "Streetlights." Lockjaw shows his mastery here of swing, soul, and imagination. I hung on his every phrase, there's so much skill and wit and groove in his lines and notes. And the secret sauce on these tracks is George Duvivier. His ever fingering is both precise and moving. He has clandestine control of the whole band. It's too bad that he is just a tad lower in the balance here than I'd like.
After this I needed to cool down a bit! A good choice for that was Dianna Panton "To Brazil with Love". . . this is a very nice cd, Panton's voice reminds me of Blossom Dearie and Karrin Allyson, and her timing is impeccable. And she can evoke emotion with no melodrama at all.