Johnny Griffin & Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis Quintet - At Onkel Pö´s Carnegie Hall, Hamburg 1975 (Remastered) (2020) [24/48]

The “Ever More” of Jazz: Jazz icons Johnny Griffin and Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis are joined here by Tete Montoliu, Niels-Henning Orsted Pedersen and Art Taylor.

One of the most fascinating chapters in jazz history has been written by the “Americans in Europe” – masters of jazz from the homeland of this genre of music, who for different reasons did not feel at ease in their fatherland, the USA; most of the time there were just not enough jobs and even less appreciation for their work. The latent racism also played a role and some wanted to protest against the hubris of their home country, which wanted to police the world and again and again stumbled into armed conflicts. Furthermore, already in the 50s some big bands disintegrated while being on tour in the “Old World” – and Paris, London, Stockholm or Copenhagen – in some rarer cases also Berlin, Munich or Frankfurt – became a new home for high-profile jazz stars.

Johnny Griffin, born in Chicago in 1928, was one of them. When he appeared on stage at “Onkel Pö’s Carnegie Hall” on Lehmweg in Hamburg-Eppendorf on 8 August 1975 as the leader of an illustrious quintet, he had just settled in the Netherlands for a while. However, he also called London, Paris and Stockholm his home at times; especially in Paris he did splendid work as a member of the big band of Kenny Clarke and Francy Boland. Also in Peter Herbolzheimer’s Rhythm Combination & Bass he made a strong impact and in the same year as the Hamburg concert took place, he was a guest in Klaus Doldinger’s band. After a brief return to the USA in the 70s, John Arnold Griffin III spent almost a quarter of a century in the rural setting of the French department of Vienne, until he passed away at the age of 80 in 2008. Up to a ripe old age he went on concert tours from this home base. …

Tracklist:
1. C-Jam Blues (7:51)
2. On Green Dolphin Street (16:23)
3. Sophisticated Lady (13:54)
4. In Walked Blues (11:59)
5. I Can't Get Started (5:47)
6. Stomping at the Savoy (15:50)
7. Funky Flute (21:27)

Personnel:
Johnny Griffin, saxophone
Eddie „Lockjaw“ Davis, saxophone
Tete Montoliu, piano
Nils-Henning Orsted_Petersen, double bass
Art Tayloe, drums

Recorded August 8, 1975 at Onkel Pö's Carnegie Hall, Hamburg, Germany

Digitally remastered