Davis Eddie Lockjaw – Moodsville 4: Eddie Lockjaw Davis With Shirley (Moodsville Series Series)

Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis with Shirley Scott's Moodsville, Volume 4 captures a revealing side of one of soul-jazz's great working partnerships. First released in 1960 as the fourth volume on Prestige's Moodsville imprint, the album places Davis's big, grainy tenor in a more intimate setting, with Scott at the piano rather than the Hammond organ sound that helped define so many of their late-1950s sessions. That shift gives the record a quieter, late-night character without losing the directness that made the pair such a force together.

Davis and Scott had already built a reputation through a run of albums that helped popularise the bluesy tenor-and-organ small-group sound, so this session stands out for its restraint and focus. With George Duvivier on bass and Arthur Edgehill on drums, the quartet leans into atmosphere, melody and unhurried swing, showing how adaptable Davis and Scott could be outside their more hard-driving settings. For anyone who knows them mainly through the earthier organ sides, this is a useful companion piece.

This edition also makes sense as a vinyl release in its own right: it has been newly remastered from the original tapes for Craft's revived Moodsville Series. The presentation keeps the emphasis on sound and feel, giving a compact but characterful 1960 set the kind of careful treatment it deserves.

Features

• LP, 180g, Moodsville Series
• All-analog mastering from the original tapes
• Pressed at QRP
• Tip-on jacket