Johnny Griffin, Eddie Lockjaw Davis - 1962 - Pisces (2004)

When it came to tough tenors, Griff and Lock were two of the toughest. Johnny Griffin and Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis gathered a huge coterie of fans drawn to their tandem tenor saxophone recordings and to exciting engagements by their quintet at clubs across the country, from Minton's in Harlem to Leo's Casino in Cleveland to the Crescendo in Los Angeles. Visceral excitement was their stock-in-trade, and their tenor "battles" are among the memorable jazz encounters of the early 1960s. But these two mighty saxophone warriors had another side—tenderness. In this previously unreleased session, except for Griffin's medium-tempo title tune, they apply their expressiveness to a collection of ballads. Departing from their customary togetherness, they alternate solo tracks, accompanied by an empathetic rhythm section of pianist Horace Parian, drummer Art Taylor, and the superb but relatively little known bassist Buddy Catlett. Hidden away for decades, this collection of superior songs is a fine and unexpected addition to the Griffin-Davis discography.

1. Pisces 4:10
2. Midnight Sun 4:34
3. Willow Weep For Me 4:30
4. Bewitched, Bothered And Bewildered 3:41
5. What Is There To Say? 3:31
6. She's Funny That Way 4:29
7. Yesterdays 4:15
8. Sophisticated Lady 4:06
9. Willow Weep For Me (alternate) 4:46
10. She's Funny That Way (alternate) 4:13
11. Sophisticated Lady (alternate) 4:06
12. What Is There To Say? (alternate) 3:31

JOHNNY GRIFFIN & EDDIE "LOCKJAW" DAVIS - tenor saxophones
HORACE PARLAN - piano, celeste
BUDDY CATLETT - bass
ARTHUR TAYLOR - drums
Original session produced by ORRIN KEEPNEWS
Produced for CD release by STUART KREMSKY
Recorded by Ray Fowler at Plaza Sound Studios, New York City; May 3, 1962.
Digital transfers and assembly by JESSE NICHOLS (Fantasy Studios, Berkeley)
Digital mastering, 2004 - KIRK FELTON (Fantasy)

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