This band is a drummer's dream. Rufus is a phenomenal drummer and one that has not acquired the acclaim that he should have. He's a perfect gentleman. I met him and hung out with him in the late 60's in Lake Tahoe when Basie was doing a gig with Tony Bennett.
I saw this band live in 1974. It was the best band I have ever seen and I'm talking about a lot of shows varying from Merle Haggard to Alice Cooper to Woody Herman to Buddy Rich and Ella Fitzgerald. Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis was the kind of player who would make you marvel. Al Grey on Trombone and Rufus Jones on drums, man I'm tellin' ya it was unforgettable.
Rufus had the most exaggerated arm movements in soloing that iv'e ever seen, the hands and sticks were up to face level sometimes. He used the exact same size bass drums and all toms while most drummers varied the sizes for different tones. Easy to see why he was called Speedy, one of my all time favorites.
Lockjaw Davis plays some of the classiest solos I have heard. The use of extended technique such as altissimo, growling and flutter tonguing combined with brilliant harmonics and pure class that such a great solo.
