Outstanding! A chronologically arranged core sample of the Hawk's progress from a notably able improviser to a fully developed archetypal saxophonist ready to assist with the birth and development of bebop. There are really four chapters in Hawkins' evolution. First come the adventures of a young sideman busily gigging throughout the 1920s, who gradually shone as a star of the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra but also played bass saxophone behind Ma Rainey. Chapter two finds the internationally acclaimed master of the tenor ...
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Outstanding! A chronologically arranged core sample of the Hawk's progress from a notably able improviser to a fully developed archetypal saxophonist ready to assist with the birth and development of bebop. There are really four chapters in Hawkins' evolution. First come the adventures of a young sideman busily gigging throughout the 1920s, who gradually shone as a star of the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra but also played bass saxophone behind Ma Rainey. Chapter two finds the internationally acclaimed master of the tenor taking himself to Europe during the 1930s and returning with more sheer power and facility than ever. The rest of Hawkins' career would count as chapters three and four, spanning the years 1944 through 1966. More than two decades of maturity gave the world that marvelous autumnal Hawkins, always insistent upon being up to date, eventually sitting in with Monk, Coltrane, Max Roach, and Abbey Lincoln. This collection focuses upon chapter two, or Hawkins' early middle period. These historical performances are invariably exciting and fruitful. Hearing Hawkins percolating alongside Red McKenzie's buzzing paper and comb is an incongruous delight, enhanced by the presence of Pee Wee Russell, Pops Foster, and Gene Krupa. A pity listeners only get to hear one example of the Coleman Hawkins/Henry "Red" Allen Orchestra of 1933. The Fletcher Henderson recordings have apparently been put aside for inclusion in a different volume of this reissue series. (Even so, the Henderson sides are numerous enough that they probably could have included Hawkins' harmonically adventuresome "Queer Notions" on this disc without depleting the supply). Hearing Hawkins in leisurely duet performance with Bessie Smith's ace pianist Buck Washington is a treat not to be missed. The recordings made in France and Holland during 1935 and 1937 are fresh and stimulating. Note the positive energy generated by musicians from varying countries and ethnic backgrounds, working together in defiance of prevailing racist politics on the continent at that time. In 1935, Nazi laws barred Hawkins from performing in Germany, as he and his music were considered racially impure. As if to demonstrate the antithesis of Hitler's ideology, Hawkins made a mighty handful of hot records in the company of legendary gypsy guitarist Django Reinhardt. The obligatory "Body and Soul" of 1939 should be compared with the 1929 recording of "One Hour." Hawkins always insisted that what he accomplished on his most famous record was nothing different from what he'd been doing all along. Certainly it was Hawkins who initially defined the tenor saxophone as a vehicle for ballad improvisation. One selection from a Lionel Hampton jam and four smart sides from 1940 constitute the logical fruition of the swing idiom, and then something very exciting starts to happen: Hawkins is heard sitting in with Count Basie's band in 1941, with decidedly modern results ("Feedin' the Bean"). Even more modern is "Boff Boff" from December 1943, wherein a dangerous rhythm section of Art Tatum, Oscar Pettiford, and Sid Catlett urge Hawkins and trumpeter Cootie Williams on to great extremes. Bop is in the air, as well as R&B. The remaining tracks illustrate how by the end of 1943 (and for the rest of his life), Hawkins was constantly reinventing the tradition without ever looking back. ~ arwulf arwulf, Rovi
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