Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis with Shirley Scott: Cookin’ with Jaws and the Queen: The Legendary Prestige Cookbook Albums

There is something undeniably hip about the four discs which make up Cookin' With Jaws And The Queen, the music by tenor saxophonist Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis and Hammond B3 organist Shirley Scott. Recorded in three sessions between June and December 1958, at Rudy Van Gelder's studio, which happened to be in his parents' home, the music deftly recreates the soul-jazz experience heard in nightclubs and maybe more significantly on jukeboxes.

Davis made a name for himself in the bands of of Andy Kirk, Lucky Millinder, and Cootie Williams before finding his passion for R&B and soul in the '50s. He would later be a key ingredient in Count Basie's bands and, of course, his saxophone battles with Johnny Griffin are the stuff of legend. His recordings with Scott are lovingly remastered and presented in both CD and LP formats as they were in their original releases.

Scott might be the hero here. A black woman in the '50s Philadelphia jazz scene was a rarity. She had to elbow her way into the worlds dominated by organists Jimmy Smith, and Brother Jack McDuff, backing John Coltrane during his Philly years. Scott would later marry Stanley Turrentine and record sessions with him, plus American Classic (Elektra Musician, 1982) one of Dexter Gordon's final sessions.

While the organ was a fixture of roller rinks and baseball stadiums, Scott developed it into a perfect accompaniment to Davis' bluesy tenor. These Cookbook sessions are filled with slow to fast blues and uplifting ballads. Scott relinquishes the bass lines to George Duvivier, and Arthur Edgehill holds down the drum chair. Adding to the lineup, reedsman Jerome Richardson can be heard on flute, baritone and tenor saxophones. Many of the tracks were issued as jukebox 45s. "The Rev" and it's flip side "I Surrender Dear" display the dexterity and contrasts the ensemble had in spades. From preaching the gospel of the blues to the sexy lushness of "I Surrender Dear," Davis displays a broad emotional range with the assistance of Richardson's flute and the riotous, luxurious coatings applied by Scott.

Is this music the height of 'Jaws' career? Many would defer to his '60's battles with Johnny Griffin but, for pure passion and that outsider's hipness, these four sides cannot be beaten.

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