The "Grand Old Man" of the Tenor Saxophone Coleman Hawkins
(Born Nov. 21, 1904, in St. Joseph) has been an influential figure in Jazz
from the 20s until his death in 1969. He was, until the arrival of Lester
Young, the only great tenor sax player in Jazz music. Hawkins had a
large, heavy, sound that was far different from Young's lighter, cooler
tone. Hawkins' 1939 version of "Body And Soul" has become a jazz classic.
Hawkins became deeply involved in the bop revolution of the mid-40s, and
his playing provided the improvisational foundation with his small combos
on 52nd Street. Since 1943 when his sextet included trumpeter Benny Harris
and pianist Thelonious Monk, he has employed
such greats as trumpeters Dizzy Gillespie,
Miles Davis, Fats Navarro and drummer Max
Roach, among others. However to many boppers his heavy big sound was
out of fashion. During the hard bop years immediately following the bebop
period, the deep and heavy Hawkins-style was resoted to favour.
Hawkins began his jazz career in his teens as member of Mamie Smith's Jazz
Hounds in 1921. He then joined Fletcher Henderson in 1924, spending a decade
in the band that included Louis Armstrong. It was there that he established
himself as a star soloist." In 1934, Hawkins left for a five-year stay in
Europe. With his return to the United States in 1939, and the resulting
"Body and Soul" hit, Hawkins re-established his supremacy in the jazz tenor
sax ranks. Although moving into the role of elder statesman in the '50s,
Hawkins continued to test himself, and in mid-1963 recorded with the forward-looking
group of Sonny Rollins for RCA. He also worked
with Duke Ellington and Jazz At The Philharmonic in the '60s. |
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