Search - Johnny Griffin, Eddie Lockjaw Davis :: Pisces

The least essential griffin-davis cd? this'd be it.

that opinionated guy | 06/17/2009

(3 out of 5 stars)

"tenor saxophonists johnny griffin and eddie "lockjaw" davis worked together quite a bit from 1960 to 1962. there are a couple of live cds and about 6 studio albums representing their collaboration, but this is the only one that went unreleased at the time it was recorded.



it's an odd set, which probably explains why it sat on the shelf.



first off, the song selection is mostly ballads, not something either saxophonist was known to specialize in. then there's the fact that the best 2 tenor act in jazz strangely decided NOT to record together for this session. that's right, this is basically 2 quartet sessions with either of them at the helm for 4 songs apiece.



it gets odder though: on the four songs that showcase lockjaw, pianist horace parlan doesn't play piano. instead he plays the celeste, a much smaller instrument that reminds one of a child's toy. whose idea was this? it's not like one can't tell the saxophonists apart and if either of them were going to play with such low-key accompaniment, griffin would have been the better choice. lockjaw is a bit loud for that celeste and dominates his tracks in a way that cannot possibly have been intentional.



for all that it's still not a terrible cd. the performances are quite pleasant even if nothing especially amazing happens and the griffin-penned title track (the only original on the program) is certainly something his fans should hear. in fact, all four griffin selections and their alternates are worth a listen. and if this were available as a download, i'd recommend those (pisces, willow weep for me, she's funny that way and sophisticated lady) without hesitation.



lockjaw doesn't fare so well, as the decision to employ that celeste for the chordal base of his tracks makes them sound somewhat gimmicky. plus, he just overwhelms the celeste at times. to the detriment of all concerned (especially the listener) he opens up "midnight sun" positively blasting away and only seems to realize about half-way through the song that he might need to cut the volume a tad.



as if that weren't enough: without the 4 alternate takes that close out this cd, you've got a 35-minute album here. since this is not exactly an essential set of music, the alternate versions of the tunes don't serve any particular purpose except for the extreme completists out there."