When Two Tenors Go Head to Head
Griffin and Davis made for an exciting team, and the listener always came out ahead.
Tough Tenor Favorites captures Johnny Griffin and Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis doing what they did best together — pushing each other into corners and making the sparks fly. This is a straightforward tenor saxophone duel, the kind of album where the concept is the whole point. Two strong players, similar voices, competing instincts, same tunes. It works because both men were serious enough about their craft that the competition never felt cheap. Griffin had speed and a cutting tone; Davis had weight and a rougher edge. Put them on the same tune and something genuine happened.
The appeal here is simple and honest. There's no mystery to decode, no production trick to admire, no hidden depth to unearth. You get two tenor saxophonists playing standards and blues figures, trading solos, sometimes playing in unison, sometimes stepping back to let the other man have the floor. AllMusic gave this one four stars, noting that "the two 'tough tenors' in question always made for an exciting team" and that "the main winner in these fiery tenor 'battles' is the listener." That's the whole truth of it. If you like tenor saxophone and you like hearing musicians challenge each other, you'll hear why people kept coming back to records like this one.
This sits somewhere in the middle of Griffin's catalog — not a debut, not his peak work, but solid evidence of his ability to hold his own against a real contender. It's the kind of album that works best as a specific craving rather than a starting point. Come to it after you already know what Griffin can do on his own, or after you've heard enough tenor saxophone to understand what makes a real battle worth listening to.
Who's playing
Buddy Catlettbass
Horace Parlanpiano
Eddie “Lockjaw” Davistenor saxophone
Johnny Griffintenor saxophone
Ben Rileydrums
