1961 · Album
Tough Tenors Back Again!
Recorded 1961 · Jazzland · Produced by Orrin Keepnews
Two Tenors, No Backing Down
Griffin and Davis lock horns again, and neither one is giving an inch.
Johnny Griffin and Eddie 'Lockjaw' Davis had already proven their chemistry on Tough Tenors (1960), and this follow-up picks up right where that left off — two hard bop saxophonists with completely different personalities sharing the same stage and refusing to let the other get comfortable. Griffin is the faster, more fluid player; Davis is grittier, more aggressive. The tension between those two approaches is what makes the whole thing work.
What you get here is straight-ahead hard bop with a lot of muscle. The rhythm section keeps things moving at a serious clip, and neither Griffin nor Davis is in the mood for subtlety. There are moments where the two tenors trade phrases and you can almost hear them daring each other to keep up. It is competitive playing, but it never turns into a mess — both men knew how to listen while they were soloing, which is rarer than it sounds. Griffin, who had sharpened his instincts playing with Thelonious Monk and Art Blakey, brings a kind of relentless forward motion that keeps the whole date from ever going slack.
This is not a reinvention of anything. It is two very good saxophonists doing what they do best in a format that suited them perfectly. If you already like the first Tough Tenors record, you will like this one too. If you are new to Griffin, this is a reasonable place to start — though A Blowing Session (1957) might give you a slightly sharper introduction to what made him special. Either way, the two-tenors format brings out a competitive edge in Griffin that you do not always hear when he is leading a more conventional session.
Who's playing
Curtis Lundybass
Harry Pickenspiano
Eddie “Lockjaw” Davistenor saxophone
Johnny Griffintenor saxophone
Kenny Washingtondrums
