Coleman Hawkins - The Complete Albums Collection: 1945-1957 (2017)

One of the first musicians to use the tenor saxophone as a leading jazz instrument, Coleman Hawkins was among the defining figures of the swing, big band and hard bop movements. Idolised by generations of legendary performers, including Lester Young and Miles Davis - the latter of whom credited his education in ballads to Hawkins - the man known to many as Hawk or Bean helped lay down the early foundations of modern jazz through his trademark style and multitude of early recordings that would change the face of the genre as it progressed through the 20th century. Coleman Randolph Hawkins was born on 21st November 1904 in St. Joseph, Missouri, and began receiving piano lessons from his mother at the age of five. The first of many instruments he learned during his youth, by the age of nine he could also play the cello and the saxophone, although it would be the latter that he stayed with for the long term. He attended Topeka High School in Kansas before studying harmony and composition for two years at Washburn College. Having played the eastern Kansas area since the age of 14, Hawkins got his first break in 1921 when he joined singer Mamie Smith s Jazz Hounds, a group he stayed with for two years. He then joined Fletcher Henderson s Orchestra, a role he held for over a decade. Occasionally doubling on clarinet and bass saxophone, Hawkins drew great influence from Louis Armstrong s tenure in the group, and his playing changed dramatically during this period. In the late 1920s, Hawkins became involved with some of the first interracial recording sessions when he sat in with The Mound City Big Blowers. While new talent influenced by Hawkins playing flourished during the 1930s - including Lester Young and Ben Webster - Hawkins himself toured Europe as a soloist for much of the decade, performing and recording alongside Django Reinhardt and Benny Carter while in Paris. Upon returning to the United States in 1939, he recorded a landmark version of Body and Soul while performing at Kelly s Stables in New York on 11th October. Ignoring almost all the melody in favour of an exploration of the harmonic structure, his playing was considered the next step in the evolution of jazz following on from Louis Armstrong s West End Blues in 1928. In 1944, Hawkins took part in what is considered by many to be the first ever bebop session, performing alongside trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie, bassist Oscar Pettiford and drummer Max Roach. Throughout the 1930s and 1940s, Coleman Hawkins took part in numerous recording sessions, although, as was common at the time, these were mainly released as 78 RPM singles. However, many would reappear over the coming years on a series of 10 records and albums. These included the triple shellac collection On Asch Records (Asch, 1945), Tenor Sax Stylings, Vol. 1 (Brunswick, 1952) - volume two of which showcased the talents of Ben Webster - and King Of The Tenor Sax (Commodore, 1952). In 1954, he released his first full album as band leader, The Hawk Returns (Savoy), which was followed by a fine series of records, which included The Hawk In Hi-Fi (RCA Victor, 1956), on which he was backed by Billy Byers and his Orchestra , and The Hawk Flies High (Riverside, 1957). This collection, containing over four hours of music across four discs, collates over a decade s worth of material covering Coleman Hawkins first run of albums as bandleader. With all recordings remastered and included in their entirety, this compilation provides the perfect introduction to Hawkins work, as well as demonstrating perfectly the fascinating manner in which the tenor sax man s style evolved throughout this period of his career.