Tag: Coleman Hawkins

Title: Coleman Hawkins – The Hawk Flies High (1957) [MFSL 2006]
Genre: Jazz
Format: SACD ISO + Hi-Res FLAC

The Hawk Flies High is a 1957 album by jazz tenor saxophonist Coleman Hawkins. Apart from Barry Galbraith and Jo Jones on guitar and drums, the line-up of his accompanying sextet had a bebop background, namely J.J. Johnson on trombone, Idrees Sulieman on trumpet, pianist Hank Jones, and Oscar Pettiford on bass.

Coleman Hawkins’ 1957 session for Riverside, aside from an oral documentary record in a short-lived series, was his only recording for the label under his name. Yet producer Orrin Keepnews had the good sense to invite the legendary tenor saxophonist to pick his own musicians, and Hawkins surprised him by asking for young boppers J.J. Johnson and Idrees Sulieman in addition to the potent rhythm section of Hank Jones, Oscar Pettiford, Barry Galbraith, and Jo Jones. The two days of sessions produced a number of strong performances, with Hawkins still very much at the top of his game, while both Johnson and Sulieman catch fire as well. Even though most of the focus was on new material contributed by the participants, the musicians quickly adapted to the unfamiliar music, especially the leader’s old-fashioned swinger “Sancticity” (which sounds like it could have been part of Count Basie’s repertoire) and the pianist’s tightly woven bop vehicle “Chant.” Hawkins was one of the great ballad interpreters, and his majestic performance of the standard “Laura” is no exception.

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Title: Coleman Hawkins – Supreme Jazz (2006)
Genre: Jazz
Format: MCH SACD ISO + Hi-Res FLAC

Coleman Randolph Hawkins, nicknamed Hawk and sometimes “Bean”, was an American jazz tenor saxophonist. One of the first prominent jazz musicians on his instrument, as Joachim E. Berendt explained: “there were some tenor players before him, but the instrument was not an acknowledged jazz horn”. While Hawkins is strongly associated with the swing music and big band era, he had a role in the development of bebop in the 1940s.

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Title: Coleman Hawkins – Coleman Hawkins And Confreres (1958) [Analogue Productions 2012]
Genre: Jazz
Format: SACD ISO + Hi-Res FLAC

This unique 1958 recording is a collaboration between Coleman Hawkins and the Oscar Peterson Trio. Hawkins’s voluminous, supple tenor sax sound, which had a great influence on the styles of musicians ranging from Dexter Gordon and Sonny Rollins up to Joe Lovano, is best heard on Honey Flower. The album features Ben Webster on tenor sax, Oscar Peterson on piano, Herb Ellis on guitar, Ray Brown on bass, Roy Eldridge on trumpet, Hank Jones on piano, George Duvivier on double bass and drummers Alvin Stoller and Mickey Sheen.

Ben Webster had long before passed through the ranks of imitator, then pupil and finally master. His ‘college attendance,’ as one might put it, in the Duke Ellington Orchestra gave him a sureness of expression in his great showpieces and he also learned to hold his own against such musical giants as Paul Gonsalves and Jimmy Hamilton. ‘Hawk’ was able to thoroughly enjoy his fame in numerous Jazz At The Philharmonic concerts given all over the world, where, of course, he had to assert himself against many other saxophone players. Two such JATP ensembles are to be found on the Confrères LP. The relaxed atmosphere is particularly noticeable in the title ‘Sunday’ in which Roy Eldridge comes into the limelight with a brilliant solo. And just listen to George Buvivier’s marvelous bass playing (in ‘Nabab!’) where he certainly has no reason to hide in the shadow thrown by Ray Brown. Coleman Hawkins’ voluminous, supple sound which had a great influence on the styles of musicians ranging from Dexter Gordon and Sonny Rollins up to Joe Lovano, is best heard after Roy’s solo in ‘Honey Flower.’ The rhythm section blends together in fine rapport. This is a healthy example of uncluttered, uncomplexed, and unneurotic jazz blowing by as worthy a company of musicians as could be desired.

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