What's so exciting about these tenor battles is that the players are at their best trying to outdo each other in friendly ways producing incredible improvising and interplay. As accomplished as the players are today I don't think many can duplicate this. These guys didn't consider themselves "artists". They were just jazz saxophonists making money doing what they loved. I'm a tenor player myself and I know what it feels like to play with another tenor or trumpet like this. Pure fun.
I never could fathom why these two tenor players were so under-rated. And when they got together to form this copious quintet of essential bop in the height of the black-gold age of modern jazz, circa, 1960, they heate up the Harlem clubs, but were hardly noticed anywhere else. I think they were right up there with the Jazz Messengers and the Horace Silver Quintet. Thank God this prescient bootlegger has preserved them! Gratitude to Bernie.
I know considering both saxophone players could play either a ballad or lightning speed with songs like TickleToe, twins and blues up and down all of my favorite up-tempo numbers ever goes to saxophone players should be recognized anyone that can play very fast and keep up with the rhythm section is great Especially with Eddie lockjaw Davis who had that real tough tenor sound which I love and Johnny Griffin another one of my favorite saxophone players who could play just as fast as anyone boy does he ever. there will never be any other saxophone players like Eddie lockjaw Davis and Johnny Griffin.
Album *Blues Up and Down* (1961) Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis & Johnny Griffin - ts Lloyd Mayers - p; Larry Gales - b; Ben Riley - dr 0:00:00 [01] Camp Meeting _(Johnny Griffin)_ 0:05:26 [02] Blues Up and Down _(Gene Ammons & Sonny Stitt)_ 0:10:35 [03] Nice and Easy _(Johnny Griffin)_ 0:18:08 [04] Oh, Gee _(Matthew Gee)_ 0:22:04 [05] Walkin' _(Richard Carpenter)_ 0:29:03 [06] Leapin' on Lenox _(Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis)_ 0:33:44 [07] Layin' on Mellow _(Griffin & Davis)_ Album *Griff & Lock* (1960) Johnny Griffin & Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis - ts Junior Mance - p; Larry Gales - b; Ben Riley - dr 0:38:39 [08] The Last Train from Overbrook _(James Moody)_ 0:45:33 [09] Hey Lock! _(Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis)_ 0:53:33 [10] Midnight at Minton's _(Babs Gonzales)_ 0:59:02 [11] Second Balcony Jump _(Billy Eckstine & Jerry Valentine)_ 1:03:28 [12] I'll Remember April _(Gene de Paul & Don Raye)_ 1:10:08 [13] Good Bait _(Tadd Dameron)_
I love how saxophonist can really battle it out especially in very fast up-tempo numbers like blues up and down one of the greatest songs ever. Wow to great saxophone players I could listen to battling saxophone players and never get tired of it it’s such a pleasure for me to hear music like this I love it especially with great saxophonist like Eddie lockjaw Davis and Johnny Griffin two of the greatest tenor saxophone players ever.
Full house is a very well known album of wess Montgomery with Johnny Griffin. Cariba is the name of one of the many pieces they play live,as all the album. Wess is great but when Johnny Griffin is doing his solo...... that's unbelievable groovy,you wish it will never end. Although I didn't know the music of Griffin,I realized he s one of the greatest all time saxophone players. Does anybody know a blues solo of Griffin of the same calibre as the one performed in Cariba as a sideman for Wess?
This came through my notifications in 2020 when I was in Uganda. I was in the shower and I heard the song but completely forgot the name. I've been trying to recall the track "that had all the Body and Soul changes" since then. It's been bugging the hell out of me. You just cracked the safe for me there, brother. Thanks a million.
