MEDIUM Vinyl Record
WEIGHT 180gr (black vinyl) 33rpm
CONDITION sealed
COVER Standard
CONDITION COVER M mint
SERIALNUMBER No
LIMITED Yes
MISCELLANEOUS Stereo
COVER DAMAGES No, we take care about that
MUSICIAN HOMEPAGE --
Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis - tenor sax
Paul Gonsalves - tenor sax
Roland Hanna - piano
Everett Barksdale - guitar
Ben Tucker - bass
Grady Tate - drums
love is here to stay - 2:09
when sunny gets blue - 2:55
if i ruled the world - 3:06
time after time - 2:23
just friends - 5:11
don't blame me - 2:35
i should care - 2:10
the man with the horn - 5:00
we'll be together again - 4:06
a weaver of dreams - 3:14
if i should lose you - 2:59
Think of 'Lockjaw' Davis and ten to one you think of Count Basie
Think of Paul Gonsalves and – same thing, you think of Duke Ellington
The top tenors, in other words, of the top big bands; musicians from the top league where the competition is toughest
Yet there is no battle here, no contest, no vying to outdo the other in terms of velocity
If you know these two men only by hearsay, you may have reservations about them as balladeers
They both have reputations for derring-do of a different kind
Davis has never hesitated to do battle with the most frenetic performers, with those who would stick at nothing to win, and lost – to him
And Gonsalves was the hero of one of the great nights in jazz history, when he blew twenty-seven romping, stomping choruses on Duke Ellington’s "Diminuendo And Crescendo In Blue" at Newport 1956
It is easy for jazzmen to become typed, so that the public demands the repeated display of just one particular facet of his talent
This has happened to the two men showcased in this album, where the other side of their musical personalities is brought into focus
Although they have both developed highly individual styles, their original sources of inspiration were masters of the ballad – Ben Webster in Davis’ case, Coleman Hawkins in that of Gonsalves
Their different approaches to the ballad make this recording consistently interesting and surprising
Both are soulful, both are rhapsodical
But Davis plays with clear, confident articulation, a buzz in his tone, and a bite in his phraseology
Generally he is the more driving and passionate of the two
The Gonsalves style is, on the other hand, sinuous, insinuating and less direct
His imaginative lyricism is more tender and often melancholy, his tone well-produced and finely rounded
The breathy sub-tone, which Gonsalves uses so well, adds a curiously confidential and intimate dimension
It is like the musical equivalent of a whispered aside or a delicate suggestion
But both men alternate very adroitly between the discreet and the bold
Their mutual understanding is, in fact, positively uncanny at times, for they had never previously recorded together, and preparation before the sessions was minimal
In the studio their long term professionalism stood them in good stead, as did that of their accompanists, whose taste and sensitivity contribute so much to the recording’s appeal
Never obtrusive, they remain in close, listening support, Hanna and Barksdale being quick to prolong or emphasize the thoughts of the two soloists
RECORDING 1967 at RCA Victor’s Studio B New York City
ENGINEERING Bernard Keville
LABEL RCA Victor
RE MASTERING Ray Staff
RE RELEASED March 2014
AVERAGE RATING 4 Stars out of 5
PRESSING by Pallas Germany
MADE IN Germany / England
STYLE Jazz / Hard Bop / Soul Jazz
AVAILABLE as long as inventory
