Cory Weeds: Cory Weeds Meets Jerry Weldon

A proper response to the statement Cory Weeds Meets Jerry Weldon could well be "it's about time!" Although widely separated geographically—Weeds is Canadian, Weldon a native New Yorker—these masters of the tenor saxophone have been brightening stages and delighting audiences at venues in the U.S. and around the world for decades. And even though they have 'met' professionally more than once, it is only now—in 2025—that Weeds and Weldon have joined forces and pooled their enormous talents to produce a marvelous recording that brings to mind classic two-tenor duels of yesteryear by such legendary duos as Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis and Johnny Griffin, Gene Ammons and Sonny Stitt, Ammons and Dexter Gordon, Zoot Sims and Al Cohn, among others.

Neither Weeds nor Weldon is a stranger to the two-tenor format, Weeds having locked horns on record with Nick Hempton, Weldon with Michael Karn. While those albums were splendid in their own way, this one seems more like a perfect fit—stylistically, aesthetically and musically. As the jazz world is not really that sizable, it is mildly surprising that no one thought of this pairing before. Going into any contest, it is gratifying to have two of the league's heaviest hitters on your team, especially when they are backed by an all-star rhythm section (pianist Miles Black, bassist John Lee, drummer Jesse Cahill) that never once falters or fumbles the ball.

The spirit of Lockjaw Davis arises immediately as Weeds and Weldon rush merrily through "Hey, Lock!," his perky contrafact of the standard "Body and Soul." A pair of stellar compositions by Clifford Jordan ("Toy," "Ole") are up next, followed by the sensuous ballad "Just as Though You Were Here," the Gershwin brothers' "Oh, Lady Be Good" (neatly arranged by Bill Coon) and "I Had the Craziest Dream," Cedar Walton's sturdy "One Flight Down" and Weeds' fleet and freewheeling finale, "323 Shuter."

Weeds and Weldon give each one a marvelous ride, in the finest tradition of boss-tenor tussles, while Black, Lee and Cahill provide a soft and spacious landing space and solo eloquently when called upon. It adds up to a dazzling—even though long overdue—session by two maestros of contemporary post-bop tenor saxophone who really should meet like this more often.

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