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Tough-toned tenor saxophonist Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis spent several periods with the Count Basie Orchestra, including 1964-1973. He continued to record under his own name during this time, including several releases for RCA Victor. Lock the Fox, a small group effort, came out in 1966 and was followed in '67 by The Fox and the Hounds, a big band recording.
On Lock the Fox, Davis is accompanied by guitarist Les Spann, pianist Russ Tompkins, Ray Barretto on conga, bassist Russell George and drummer Chuck Lampkin. All of the tunes are relatively short (designed for radio airplay presumably) and dominated by Davis. Although the version of Henry Mancini's Days of Wine and Roses ran only 3:21 on the LP, incredibly the tune was shortened by a further 25 seconds when it was issued on a 45 (backed with Speak Low) for DJ use.
To give you a taste of what's on the album the 45 edit is available from the link below.
Days of Wine and Roses
Lock the Fox has been issued at least twice on CD -- as a standalone disc from the high-quality Spanish label Fresh Sound and as a two-on-one package with The Fox and the Hounds from the U.S. Collectables label. The latter disc can be had quite cheaply from several sources.
To close here's Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis with the Count Basie orchestra from a concert in Berlin in 1968.
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