With a sharp, raspy timbre and a robust, propulsive manner, tenor saxophonist Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis moved fluidly across the big-band, bebop, R&B, and soul-jazz periods. Though celebrated as a formidable presence in competitive jam settings and studio encounters alike, his warm, expansive handling of jazz and blues reached fresh peaks alongside Hammond B-3 organist Shirley Scott. The pair issued a run of late-'50s LPs, among them In the Kitchen, Cookbook, Vol. 1, and Jaws, that defined the soul-jazz organ-trio aesthetic. Davis also proved an essential contributor to the Count Basie ensemble, appearing on its recordings from the '50s through the early '70s. In addition, he directed vigorous sessions with saxophonists Sonny Stitt and Johnny Griffin plus trumpeter Harry "Sweets" Edison, remaining an active soloist until his death in the 1980s.
Born Edward F. Davis in New York City in 1922, he acquired most of his tenor saxophone skills without formal instruction. During the 1930s he emerged in Harlem alongside Cootie Williams, Lucky Millinder, Andy Kirk, and Louis Armstrong. In the '40s he became a regular at Minton's Jazz Club and fronted his own unit, Eddie Davis and His Beboppers, which included Fats Navarro, Al Haig, Huey Long, Gene Ramey, and Denzil Best. Through that ensemble and other small-group lineups he entered the studio for the first time, cutting a series of vigorous, blues-inflected sides for Savoy, King, Lenox, and Royal Roost.
By the '50s he was assembling bands built around organists, as heard on the early Roost album Goodies from Eddie Davis that spotlighted Bill Doggett and Eddie Bonnemère. He also cut tracks with organist Jimmy Smith and established a productive alliance with saxophonist Sonny Stitt that yielded the high-octane 1955 concert recording Live at Birdland. Yet his most enduring partnership was the one formed with organist Shirley Scott, whose joint dates produced a succession of gritty, driving albums that helped establish the blues-inflected tenor-and-organ style. Several of those releases carried culinary titles, beginning with 1958's In the Kitchen and continuing through Jaws, Cookbook, Vols. 1, 2, and 3 before concluding with 1960's Misty. That same year he and Scott accompanied vocalist Mildred Anderson on the album Person to Person.
Davis served as a central figure in the Count Basie Big Band, first appearing on 1955's The Count and continuing with the orchestra into the early '70s. He delivered notable solos on pieces such as "Flight of the Foo Birds" and "After Supper" while contributing to landmark albums including The Atomic Mr. Basie, Sinatra at the Sands, Basie Straight Ahead, and High Voltage. From the '60s onward he co-led a quintet with tenor saxophonist Johnny Griffin, trading phrases on Battle Stations, Griff & Lock, and The Tenor Scene. The two also performed together in the Kenny Clarke/Francy Boland Big Band during its European engagements. Davis further participated in equally energetic outings with Harry "Sweets" Edison, Don Patterson, Paul Gonsalves, and additional partners.
Later releases encompassed 1976's Straight Ahead with Tommy Flanagan, 1981's Jaws Blues with Horace Parlan, and 1983's All of Me with Kenny Drew, plus further Basie collaborations such as Basie Jam and encounters with Dizzy Gillespie, Richie Cole, and Milt Jackson. On November 3, 1986, Davis succumbed to Hodgkin's lymphoma in Culver City, California, at age 64. In subsequent decades, posthumous issues including the 2019 album Ow! Live at the Penthouse with Johnny Griffin and the 2023 anthology Cookin' with Jaws and the Queen: The Legendary Prestige Cookbook Albums have sustained his standing as a magnetic improviser and a foundational voice in the soul-jazz organ tradition.
