Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis with Shirley Scott - Cookin' with Jaws and the Queen - 4 CD Box Set

2023

Recorded across three 1958 sessions at Rudy Van Gelder's studio in New Jersey, the four albums remastered and re-pressed for this set are ideal representatives for what we call soul-jazz, that joyous and funky combination that brought together the improvisational freedom of the latter genre with the swinging grooves of the former. These records are also prime examples of the musical conflagrations that can be created by putting two strong artistic personalities in a studio together.

That's why tenor saxophonist Eddie 'Lockjaw' Davis and organist Shirley Scott get top billing on the album sleeves. They take up that much real estate on these recordings. The two are responsible for the bulk of the compositions here, either on their own or co-writing them together. Those co-writes, released on Cookbook, Vol. 2 and Smokin', are the highlights of this collection, as the pair engage in some melodic tussling on the electrifying 'Jaws' and a slow tango on the sultry 'Skillet.' Davis opens up in a way he rarely did when working with Scott as he reached for some ineffable expression of joy or sexual longing or despair in his playing. Scott nudged him long throughout with chords and solos that encouraged or dared to push back on Davis.

The middle ground between the two is taken up by equally fine players, especially Jerome Richardson who adds a nice timbral balance with his flute and occasional baritone sax. Everyone cooks, but it's Richardson who keeps the temperature steady and even.
-Robert Ham, Paste Magazine