137. Arnett Cobb and Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis / Blow, Arnett, Blow! (1959)

This Prestige date was something of a 'return' for Cobb, who had been recently injured and was retired during recovery. Fans of Mr. Davis should enjoy the album thoroughly because it's exactly the same band as the Cookbook sessions, plus Cobb. Every cut is a wild give and take between Cobb and Davis, a battle for sure. Shirley Scott, making heavy use of the drawbars and tremolo, throws gasoline on the fire more than once. The choice of an organist over a pianist makes a big difference in the total sound and Scott definitely has some good licks. The quintet setting is almost too small to contain the horns, and it does get noisy, but the arrangements are tight. It's well worth seeking out for fans of early soul jazz, or Texas tenor, or anyone studying the small group work of Cobb or Davis who were also well known as big band soloists. The opening chestnut "When I Grow Too Old to Dream" is very nice, also take a look at "Dutch Kitchen Bounce" and "The Eely One." I wonder, is that title a reference to Bud Freeman? Maybe someone in the blogosphere can tell me. One word for this album? Hot!

112. Paul Desmond / Take Ten (1963)

If you can't get enough of "Take Five," then Take Ten is the album for you. It's one of several excellent slabs made during Desmond's many quartet sessions for RCA Victor. The band is Jim Hall on guitar, a moonlighting Connie Kay on drums and Gene Cherico on bass. Fellow Brubeckian Eugene Wright subs for Cherico on "Take Ten," adding an extra dimension of conceptual continuity to this 10/8 reworking of its famous counterpart. It starts with a familiar vamp that is reminiscent of a studio orchestra trying to avoid paying royalties for the genuine article. But then Desmond starts in on a deep and bluesy riff, finding new territory inside of an old melody. He blows these long and contemplative notes that explore the tonal color of the mode and remind me, in a very limited sense, of later work by Jackie McLean or John Gilmore. It's a treat, especially when he decides to hold on for just a bit longer and sustains the phrase with some vibrato. Proceedings quickly change the course toward Desmond's passion for bossa nova. In spite of an American burnout on the form, Desmond was one of its stalwart practitioners, and originals like "El Prince," "Embarcadero," or "Samba de Orfeu" are fine examples. Kay and Hall give the sessions that extra something it needs. Kay has a nice technique that intertwines his ever present cymbals with a driving attention to the skins. This band gives him elbow room that was impossible in the immaculately executed pieces by MJQ. A normally taciturn Hall takes some interesting breaks mixing chords with short flurries of single notes and a lot of fun riffing, and he is one of my favorite musicians. Together they make a melodically focused disc with good performances and an excited but cool, relaxed vibe that I wholeheartedly recommend. It ends as sweetly as it began, with an uptempo "Out of Nowhere" featuring George Duvivier on bass. The section at the end where Desmond has the floor to himself with punctuation marks by Kay is just magic.    

82. Eddie "Lochjaw" Davis Cookbook, Vol. 2 (1958)

The second installment of the Jaws Cookbook is a hot and steamy affair, steeped in the deep blues magic of the proprietor and soulful organ fury of Shirley Scott. She really works those draw bars! The intensity pulses and swells when Jaws takes a chorus, and the floodgates really open when he yields the floor to her. The Side 1 opener "The Rev" and followup "Stardust" really benefit from this treatment. As if to cool things off, or reel them back in, Jaws occasionally hands it over to Jerome Richardson on flute, which adds an additional texture that sounds as natural as the organ and tenor. After the wait, "Skillet" brings out the uptempo mode. Again Arthur Edgehill and George Duvivier take timekeeping duties, and their performances are the cord that hold the whole thing together, playing tightly and concisely . "The Broilers" raises the roof in Basie fashion, Jaws and Scott blowing huge choruses that seem to beg for the brass of a big band. The OJC CD includes "Willow Weep for Me," previously released on the Prestige sampler, The Soul Jazz Giants. Nice disc, overall.

73. The Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis Cookbook, Vol. 1 (1958)

This first installment of the Cookbook is a treat for rhythm and blues fans, but holds sophisticated playing between its grooves and stays aloof from cliches, leaning closer to hard Chicago R&B than the half-cooked tunes I typically associate with items stamped "soul jazz." I should expect as much from the former partner of Johnny Griffin. Here, Jaws is joined by the talented Shirley Scott, who veritably steals the show in pulsing, impassioned choruses and wise use of the draw bars. George Duvivier plays solidly with deft Arthur Edgehill in a concise and unpretentious fashion that adds a feeling of security. There are several of the uptempo numbers in which Jaws excelled ("Have Horn, Will Blow," "Three Deuces") but the big tenor, along with a game Scott, really make their mark in the ballads. "But Beautiful" (pushing 13 minutes and sweating) and "In the Kitchen" are like love letters to the Hawk school, eloquent and hard swinging. You can tell these two get along, especially when Davis steps in after Scott, practically finishing each others sentences.