JAZZY REVIEWS: Con-soul and Sax - Wild Bill Davis & Johnny Hodges

 One of my favorite combinations in jazz is the Hammond B-3 organ and a good sax player. This album is all that and a bag of chips. You have the mainstay of the Duke Ellington organization, Johnny Hodges, and one of the swingiest jazz organist of the time, Wild Bill Davis. Johnny’s syrupy sweet alto sax is filled with every emotion there can be in music. Davis stabs the keys with power and finesse that is unmatched by any current organists that I have heard.

Recorded by RCA in 1965 in New York, the fidelity is perfect. Not one turn of a knob or slide of a control could make the overall fidelity any better. The duo is aptly accompanied by Dickie Thompson or Mundell Lowe on guitar, Milt Hinton or George Duvivier on bass and Osie Johnson on drums. Half the selections are Ellington standards including, “The Jeep Is Jumpin’”, “I’m Beginning to See the Light”, “Sophisticated Lady”,” Drop Me Off in Harlem” and “Johnny Come Lately”. These allow Johnny to flow as a full solo artist instead of his all-to-short Ellington solos. They are easily recognizable with numerous organ solos and the rhythm section keeps things moving in a most enjoyable way. 

Side one opens with, “On the Sunny Side of the Street”, then “On Green Dolphin Street” and a deeply haunting version of Count Basie’s “Lil’ Darlin’”. Track 4 on the A side is a new original and the title track “Con-Soul and Sax”. We end side A with the first of the five Ellington tracks, “The Jeep Is Jumpin’””. The Ellington selections take up the first 3 tracks on side B, then another original called, No One”. This is one beautiful composition by Hodges and Duke’s son Mercer. The final track is back to Duke with “Johnny Come Lately”.

This is one of those rare albums that every track is perfect, and the album is some of the most enjoyable ear-candy I have ever heard. Rare also, as I cannot find one fault with this recording. Even the cover art is simply beautiful. It makes me wonder why current jazz alto players sound so shrill and unmelodic. No wonder many people hate jazz and jazz saxophone. They have never heard the pure raw honey Johnny Hodges delivers! 

The album has enjoyed several reissues on vinyl and CD and should be an easy find. It’s one of the very few albums I have in my collection that I’ve afforded more than one copy of. But, no, I’m not willing to give one up either.

Music 10/10 – There is no going wrong with Ellington standards and a couple of great originals.

Recording 10/10 – Engineer Mickey Crofford shows his seasoned professionalism with perfect balance between the entire group and the acoustics of RCA’s studio A.

Album 10/10 – It is rare that I give anything a perfect score, I looked for flaws, there are NONE! Front to back this album is one sweet swingin’ package of small group jazz!