Marking saxophonist
Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis
' centennial, the 2023 anthology
Cookin' with Jaws and the Queen: The Legendary Prestige Cookbook Albums
spotlights the ebulliently earthy collaborations between the tenor icon and organist
Shirley Scott.
As a key member of the
Count Basie
band of the 1950's,
Davis
established his authoritative style as one that could be throaty and gruff one minute and velvet-soft the next. However, it was his work with
Scott
-- an effusively gifted player steeped in gospel and blues -- from about 1955 to 1960 that cemented their legacies and helped to popularize the soulful, hard-swinging organ trio sound. Culled from several 1958 sessions,
Cookbook, Vol. 1
,
Cookbook, Vol. 2
Cookbook, Vol. 3
, and
Smokin'
(all featured here) remain some of the most potent and memorable of their recordings. They are joined by
's band of the time, including drummer
Arthur Edgehill
, reed player/flautist
Jerome Richardson
, and bassist
George Duvivier
. Together, they dig into a mix of standards and some originals that strike a warm balance between
Basie
-esque swing, bop, groove-oriented R&B, and slow-burning blues. Of the latter, the group's 12-minute take on
Johnny Hodges
' "In the Kitchen" on
Vol. 1
is a standout, as is the steamy, gospel-inflected "The Rev" off
Vol. 2
. Equally engaging originals pop up along the way, including
' frenetic "Have Horn, Will Blow," the sparkling "The Chef", and the trio of food-themed cuts on
Vol. 3
: "Heat 'n' Serve," "The Goose Hangs High," and "Simmerin'." The standards are just as delicious, with
and
cutting deep into ballads like "My Old Flame" and "Stardust." ~ Matt Collar