A mellow set of soulful hard bop starring the underappreciated tenor Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis and the powerful organist Shirley Scott, this set, true to its name, really cooks. Like the best organ-based jazz, the tempos are mostly kept painfully slow, with only the closing "The Broilers" perking up to a trot. Throughout, Davis and Scott trade solos fluidly, with Davis' blues-based, honking tone perfectly suited to the churchy grace of Scott's organ. (Bassist George Duvivier and drummer Arthur Edgehill are, to borrow a phrase from Phil Spector, felt but not heard.) The three Davis and Scott originals are excellent, but the surprise is how well hoary old standards like "Stardust" and "Surrender, Dear" fit in this low-key setting. The CD adds a bonus track, "Willow Weep for Me," recorded during the same sessions.
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