Coleman Hawkins - Sirius (1966)

Coleman Hawkins - Sirius (1966)

jazz | 1cd | eac-flac-cue-log-cover | 235MB

OJC

Allmusic:
Hawkins's final studio session is rather sad. Due to an excess of drink and his unwillingness to eat, the great tenor-saxophonist went steadily downhill between 1965 and his death four years later. Recorded in late 1966, this quartet set finds Hawk constantly short of breath and unable to play long phrases. He is able to get away with this deficiency on the faster pieces but the ballads are rather painful to hear. Even at this late stage Hawkins still had his majestic tone but this recording is only of historical interest.

Tracks
-1. "The Man I Love" - Gershwin, Gershwin - 5:09
-2. "Don't Blame Me" - Fields, McHugh - 4:38
-3. "Just a Gigolo" - Brammer, Caesar, Casucci - 2:56
-4. "The One I Love (Belongs to Somebody Else)" - Jones, Kahn - 3:53
-5. "Time on My Hands" - Adamson, Gordon, Youmans - 4:03
-6. "Sweet and Lovely" - Arnheim, LeMare, Tobias - 4:24
-7. "Exactly Like You" - Fields, McHugh - 6:52
-8. "Street of Dreams" - Lewis, Young - 4:12
-9. "Sugar" - Alexander, Mitchell, Pinkard - 5:13

Personnel
* Coleman Hawkins - tenor sax
* Barry Harris - piano
* Bob Cranshaw - bass
* Eddie Locke - drums

sample & buy: Sirius

Coleman Hawkins - The Hawk In Hi-Fi (1956) (eac-log-cover)

Coleman Hawkins - The Hawk In Hi-Fi (1956)

with Billy Byers and his orchestra

jazz | 1cd | eac-flac-cue-log-cover | 260MB

Bluebird | 2001 remaster

Allmusic:
In January 1956, veteran tenor saxophonist Coleman Hawkins recorded a dozen songs, eight with a string orchestra and four accompanied by a big band, all arranged by Billy Byers. Hawkins is the main soloist throughout the CD reissue, and he was still very much in his prime 33 years after he first joined Fletcher Henderson's orchestra; in fact, the upcoming 1957 would be one of his finest years. However, Byers' arrangements are more functional than inspired, and some of these selections are more easy listening than they are swinging. Still, there are some strong moments (particularly on "The Bean Stalks Again" and "His Very Own Blues") and, although not classic, this is a pleasing release, augmented by nine previously unreleased alternate takes, all but one of which are complete.

Tracks:
-01 "Body and Soul" Eyton, Green, Heyman, Sour 5:00
-02 "Little Girl Blue" Hart, Rodgers 3:04
-03 "I Never Knew" Fio Rito, Kahn 3:07
-04 "Dinner for One Please, James" Carr 3:12
-05 "The Bean Stalks Again" Hawkins 3:25
-06 "His Very Own Blues" Hawkins 3:03
-07 "The Day You Came Along" Coslow, Johnston 4:10
-08 "Have You Met Miss Jones?" Hart, Rodgers 3:06
-09 "The Essence of You" Hawkins 3:30
-10 "There Will Never Be Another You" Gordon, Warren 3:01
-11 "I'm Shooting High" Koehler, McHugh 2:36
-12 "Bean and the Boys (39 "-25 "-39 ")" Hawkins 2:52
previously unreleased bonus tracks:
-13 "There Will Never Be Another You" Gordon, Warren 3:23
-14 "There Will Never Be Another You" Gordon, Warren 3:26
-15 "Little Girl Blue" Hart, Rodgers 3:09
-16 "Dinner for One Please, James" Carr 3:17
-17 "I Never Knew" Fio Rito, Kahn 3:18
-18 "Have You Met Miss Jones?" Hart, Rodgers 3:10
-19 "Have You Met Miss Jones?" Hart, Rodgers 3:20
-20 "Have You Met Miss Jones?" Hart, Rodgers 2:38
-21 "The Day You Came Along" Coslow, Johnston 3:15

sample & buy: The Hawk In Hi-Fi

Coleman Hawkins - The Hawk Flies High (1957) ( MFSL & OJC 20-bit)

Coleman Hawkins - The Hawk Flies High (1957)

MFSL + OJC 20-bit remastered

jazz | 1+1cd | eac-flac-cue-log-cover | 130+240MB

AMG:
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.

Tracks:
-1. Chant - 5:08
-2. Juicy Fruit - 11:16
-3. Think Deep -3:24
-4. Laura -4:34
-5. Blue Lights -5:44
-6. Sancticity -9:10

Personnel:
Coleman Hawkins - tenor saxophone
J.J. Johnson - trombone
Idrees Sulieman - trumpet
Hank Jones - piano
Oscar Pettiford - bass
Barry Galbraith - guitar
Jo Jones - drums

sample & buy: Hawk Flies High

Coleman Hawkins - Bean Stalkin' (live) (1960) (eac-log-cover)

Coleman Hawkins - Bean Stalkin' (live) (1960)

jazz | 1cd | eac-flac-cue-log-cover | 275MB

Pablo | rar +5% recovery

AMG:
In contrast to Hawkins's sometimes sleepy studio albums from this era, his live performances were generally quite exciting. This set features the great tenor at two European concerts in 1960, performing three fairly heated numbers with a four-piece rhythm section, matching wits with trumpeter Roy Eldridge on "Crazy Rhythm" and leading two all-star jams with Eldridge, fellow tenor Don Byas and altoist Benny Carter. Some of the music is quite fiery, making this a recommended disc.

Tracks:
01 - Bean Stalkin'
02 - Indian Summer
03 - Stompin' At The Savoy
04 - Crazy Rhythm
05 - Take The 'A' Train
06 - Indiana (Back Home Again In)

Personnel:
Coleman Hawkins - tenor sax
Poy Eldridge - trumpet
Don Byas - tenor sax
Benny Carter - alto sax
Lalo Schifrin - piano
Art Davis - Drums
Jo Jones - drums

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Sonny Rollins & Coleman Hawkins - Sonny Meets Hawk! (24brem) (eac-log-cover)

Sonny Rollins & Coleman Hawkins - Sonny Meets Hawk! (24brem)

jazz | 1cd | eac-flac-cue-log-cover | 270MB

RCA Gold series 24-bit rem | rar +5% recovery

AMG:
Throughout a career that spanned more than 40 years, Coleman Hawkins consistently maintained a progressive attitude, operating at or near the cutting edge of developments in jazz. If Hawk's versatility came in handy when he backed Abbey Lincoln during Max Roach's 1960 We Insist! Freedom Now Suite, he took on an assignment of challenging dimensions when in 1963 he cut an entire album with Sonny Rollins in the company of pianist Paul Bley, bassists Bob Cranshaw and Henry Grimes, and drummer Roy McCurdy. Coleman Hawkins and Sonny Rollins each virtually defined the tenor saxophone for his respective generation. To hear the two of them interacting freely is a deliciously exciting experience. Hawkins is able to cut loose like never before. Sometimes the two collide, locking horns and wrestling happily without holding back. For this reason one might detect just a whiff of Albert Ayler's good-natured punchiness, particularly in the basement of both horns; such energies were very much in the air during the first half of the 1960s. Rather than comparing this date with the albums Hawkins shared with Ben Webster (1957), Henry "Red" Allen (1957), Pee Wee Russell (1961), or Duke Ellington (1962), one might refer instead to Hawk's wild adventures in Brussels during 1962 (see Stash CD 538, Dali) or Rollins' recordings from around this time period, particularly his Impulse! East Broadway Run Down album of 1965. Check out how the Hawk interacts with Rollins' drawn-out high-pitched squeaking during the last minute of "Lover Man." On Sonny Meets Hawk!, possibly more than at any other point in his long professional evolution, Hawkins was able to attain heights of unfettered creativity that must have felt bracing, even exhilarating. He obviously relished the opportunity to improvise intuitively in the company of a tenor saxophonist every bit as accomplished, resourceful, and inventive as he was.

Tracks:
-1. "Yesterdays"
-2. "All the Things You Are"
-3. "Summertime"
-4. "Just Friends"
-5. "Lover Man"
-6. "At McKies'"

Personnel:
* Sonny Rollins - Tenor Sax
* Coleman Hawkins - Tenor Sax
* Paul Bley - Piano
* Roy McCurdy - Drums
* Henry Grimes - Bass
* Bob Cranshaw - Bass

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Coleman Hawkins & Ben Webster - Coleman Hawkins Encounters Ben Webster (1957) (eac-flac-cover)

Coleman Hawkins & Ben Webster - Coleman Hawkins Encounters Ben Webster (1957)

jazz | 1cd | eac-flac-cue-log-cover | 270MB

Verve Master Edition | 20bit remaster | rar +5% recovery

Amazon
Coleman Hawkins and Ben Webster first met at a Kansas City jam session at which Hawkins finally encountered his match in local tenors Webster, Herschel Evans, and Lester Young. The all-night meeting has become the stuff of legend (and a continuous thread in Robert Altman's film Kansas City, though there it's reduced to two tenors). Recorded by Norman Granz, this 1957 meeting supports the two with fine accompaniment that includes Oscar Peterson, Ray Brown, and Herb Ellis. The material includes the great "Blues for Yolanda," with a honking, squeaking solo that suggests Hawkins is the father of all R&B tenor saxophonists as well as those in jazz, while "Rosalita" has an engaging Latin beat. There's also plenty of room for the two to display their ballad art, but there's no real competition between the two big-toned, gruff tenorists, each a mature artist enjoying the highest challenge a peer might offer.

Tracks
1.# "Blues for Yolande" (Hawkins) – 6:44
2 # "It Never Entered My Mind" (Richard Rodgers, Lorenz Hart) – 5:47
3 # "La Rosita" (Paul Dupont, Allan Stuart) – 5:02
4 # "You'd Be So Nice to Come Home To" (Cole Porter) – 4:15
5 # "Prisoner of Love" (Russ Columbo, Clarence Gaskill, Leo Robin) – 4:13
6 # "Tangerine" (Johnny Mercer, Victor Schertzinger) – 5:21
7 # "Shine On, Harvest Moon" (Jack Norworth, Nora Bayes) – 4:4
8 # "Blues for Yolande" (alt) - 6:52
9 # "Blues for Yolande" (alt2) - 4:49

Personnel
* Coleman Hawkins – tenor saxophone
* Ben Webster
* Oscar Peterson – piano
* Herb Ellis – guitar
* Ray Brown – double bass
* Alvin Stoller – drums

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