Modern Jazz Expression - Eddie Davis

 

Tenderly

Modern Jazz Expression

Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis

His Tenor Saxophone and Trio

King Records - Cincinnati, Ohio

395-506

1956

From the back cover: One of the finest jazz tenor sax men in the business if Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis. For years he led the house band at Minton's Playhouse in New York's Harlem where famous jazz musicians cane from all over the world to hold jam sessions. It was in this famous landmark that the progressive move had its origin. Davis conducted jam session that featured all forerunners of modern music (the late Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, Theolonius Monk, etc.)

Eddie was born in 1921 in New York City. Learning the tenor sax from what he could pick up from other musicians, Davis soon developed a style that was his alone. In the early 1940s he went out for experience and played with many of the big bands of that period – Cootie Williams, Lucky Millinder, Louis Armstrong, Andy Kirk, Roy Eldridge to name a few. The one thing that he discovered was that solo work was very limited. It was then that Eddie realized that the big bands were not for him. During this period Eddie got the name "Lock jaw" from the expression on his face when playing the saxophone that gives the impression that the horn is locked in his mouth.

"Lock" wanted to do more solo work, so 52nd Street in New York was the next move, and he gathered a great deal more knowledge working with just about every big name in jazz at that time. During this period, Eddie began forming small groups of his one and more important, he developed a style on the tenor. The style of the horn has changed often since that time, but Eddie refused to be altered. "Basically, I believe swing is the key, regardless of the instrumentation. This I learned through the years.  I worked in the once famous Minton's Playhouse and this room in particular has produced or assisted more progressive musicians than any other room in the country," Eddie says.

It was the result of a typical jam session that "Lockjaw" formed his present trio. Doc Bagby is featured on Organ and Charlie Dice on drums. Bagby held the feature spot as a single in many of the New York clubs. He was among the first to own and feature the organ as a jazz instrument. He was inspired ins career by the great Bill Davis. Charlie Rice always played with small combos such as Coleman Hawkins, Eddie Vinson, Louie Jordan, Ben Webster, etc., and has always been considered more of an excellent swinging drummer than a soloists.

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