Died On This Date (November 3, 1986) Eddie “Lockjaw” Davis / Jazz Great
themusicsover Edward “Lockjaw” Davis
March 2, 1922 – November 3, 1986
Eddie “Lockjaw” Davis was an influential tenor saxophonist who, over the course of a career that spanned some 40 years played with may of jazz’s other greats. That list includes Ella Fitzgerald, Sonny Stitt, Louis Armstrong, Fats Navarro, and Johnny Griffin. As a sideman, Davis was in high demand thanks to his abilities in several different genres like hard bob, swing, Latin jazz and soul. He also released numerous albums of his own on many of the industry’s most prestigious labels. Eddie “Lockjaw” Davis was 64 when he passed away on November 3, 1986.
What You Should Own
Xavier Cugat was a musician, singer, songwriter, band leader, cartoonist, and actor whose various careers ran some 65 years. Born in Spain, he moved with his family to Cuba where he was trained on the violin. In 1915, his family moved again, this time settling in New York City. His first band of note, the Gigolos, was a popular Tango band in New York. During the ’30s, Cugat became the leader of the house band at New York’s fames Waldorf-Astoria Hotel. It was around this time he got into acting, so he spent much of the next three decades flying back and forth between New York and Los Angeles to work at th hotel and make movies. He also did some time as the cartoonist for the Los Angeles Times. Cugat made several hit records during the ’40s, most of them popular Latin dance tunes of the day. Xavier Cugat died of heart failure at the age of 90.
