Eddie Davis (saxophonist)

Infobox musical artist
Name = Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis


Img_capt = Jazzmen Harry "Sweets" Edison and Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis at the Village Jazz Lounge in Walt Disney World (photo by Laura Kolb)
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Background = non_vocal_instrumentalist
Birth_name = Edward Davis
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Born = birth date|1922|3|2
Died = death date and age|1986|11|3|1922|3|2
Origin = New York City, United States
Instrument = Tenor saxophone
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Genre = Jazz, soul jazz
Occupation = Saxophonist
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Associated_acts = Johnny Griffin
Flip Phillips
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Edward Davis (March 2, 1922–November 3, 1986), who performed and recorded as Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis, was an American jazz tenor saxophonist.

He played with Cootie Williams, Lucky Millinder, Andy Kirk, Louis Armstrong, and Count Basie, as well as leading his own bands and making many recordings as a leader. He played in the swing, bop, hard bop, Latin jazz, and soul jazz genres. Some of his recordings of the 1940s also could be classified as rhythm and blues.

His 1946 band, Eddie Davis and His Beboppers, featured Fats Navarro, Al Haig, Huey Long, Gene Ramey and Denzil Best.

In the 1950s he was playing with Sonny Stitt, while from 1960 to 1962 he and fellow tenor saxophonist Johnny Griffin led a quintet. From the mid-60s, Davis and Griffin also performed together as part of The Kenny Clarke-Francy Boland Big Band, along with other, mainly European, jazz musicians.

His playing influenced Harry Gibson profoundly.

Select discography

*"Cookbook", Vol.1,2, 1958, OJC, Prestige, with Shirley Scott (org), George Duvivier (b), Arthur Edgehill (dr), Jerome Richardson (fl)
*"Trane Whistle" 1960
*"Tough Tenors" 1960, with Johnny Griffin, Junior Mance (p), Ben Riley (dr), Larry Gales (b)
*"Blues Up And Down" 1961, with Johnny Griffin
*"Live at Mintons" 1961, Prestige, with Griffin, Mance, Riley
*"Streetlights" 1962, with Don Patterson (org)
*"Sax No End" 1967, with Johnny Griffin, Francy Boland (arrangements)
*"Tough Tenors Again 'n' Again" 1970, with Johnny Griffin
*"Jazz at the Philharmonic (1983)"

External links

* [http://www.bbc.co.uk/music/jazz/reviews/davislockjaw_cookbook.shtml Overview of Davis' contributions to jazz]
* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AkNKwprcFb0 Youtube video]
* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qoAAkqg1NyU Eddie 'Lockjaw' Davis] performing with The Count Basie Orchestra.
* [http://www.mtv.com/music/artist/davis_eddie/lyrics.jhtml List of tunes Davis has played on, at MTV.com]