Jazz Articles about Coleman Hawkins

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The Ascent of the Tenor - Coleman Hawkins (1929 - 1939)

by Russell Perry
January 29, 2019

The clarinet dominated the reeds throughout the 1920s. Sidney Bechet made a stand with the soprano sax and Frankie Trumbauer celebrated the lightness of the C-melody sax. And then there was Coleman Hawkins. Our guest in this hour is Jeff Decker—saxophonist, composer, educator and member of the jazz performance faculty of the University of Virginia— McIntyre School of Music. Playlist Host Intro 0:00 McKinney's Cotton Pickers “Wherever There's a Will" from Put It There (Frog) 3:03 ...

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Tenor Saxophone

by Bob Bernotas
September 7, 2015

Invented in the early 1840s, the saxophone was a relative latecomer to music--and to jazz. But starting in the mid-1920s, with the rise of the big bands, the instrument slowly but steadily evolved from a vaudeville novelty into a staple in the mainstream of jazz. Of the different varieties of saxophone, the tenor and the alto have been the most widely used, the baritone and soprano somewhat less so. During the decade, Coleman Hawkins appeared as the first important tenor ...

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Coleman Hawkins

by Henk de Boer
April 10, 2015

Although Adolphe Sax actually invented the saxophone, in the jazz world the title “Father of the Tenor Saxophone" became justly associated with Coleman Hawkins (1904-1969), not only an inventive jazz giant but also the founder of a whole dynasty of saxophone players. Before Hawkins, the saxophone (itself “born" in 1846) was mainly a favorite in marching bands and something of a novelty instrument in circus acts and vaudeville shows. Indeed, at age 16, Coleman started out with such a vaudeville ...

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Love for Sale and Other Essays

by Clifford Thompson
May 27, 2013

This article appears from the story “For Bean" Love for Sale and Other Essays by Clifford Thompson (Autumn House Press, 2013). I grew up in the 1960s and 1970s in a semi-detached brick house in Washington, D.C. The house from which it was not detached belonged to my aunt and uncle; my great-aunt and great-uncle lived in the house on the other side of them; and still another aunt and uncle were up the street. People ...

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Coleman Hawkins: The High and Mighty Hawk

by Samuel Chell
June 29, 2010

Recorded in England in 1958, this little-known session, originally released on the obscure Felsted label, is an inarguable gem. Perhaps even the word “masterpiece" is not too much of a stretch. It's doubtful that the putative “father of the tenor saxophone," Coleman Hawkins, made a better recording in the age of long-playing records, and it's just as unlikely that a better example of the impeccable touch and melodic inventiveness of the prolific Hank Jones can be found on any other ...

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Coleman Hawkins: In Europe - London, Paris & Brussels

by Angelo Leonardi
September 9, 2009

Coleman Hawkins In Europe--London, Paris & Brussels 2009 Questa nutrita raccolta di filmati di Coleman Hawkins ripresi negli anni sessanta, in parte inediti e d'ottima qualità, ci dà l'occasione per ricordare un genio che non va dimenticato e l'ultimo decennio della sua vita. Il DVD contiene quindici brani ripresi in quattro diversi concerti dati a Londra, probabilmente Hannover (molto improbabile Parigi, nonostante il titolo) e Brussels più il cortometraggio di ...

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In Europe: London, Paris & Brussels

by George Kanzler
August 15, 2009

Coleman Hawkins In Europe: London, Paris & Brussels Impro Jazz 2008

In the '20s, Coleman Hawkins (1904-69) established the tenor sax as a prominent soloing option in jazz, creating the first template for the dominant sound of the instrument. The powerful tone, deep swagger and churning rococo harmonic attack of his approach continued to be an influence long after it was eclipsed by the smoother, thinner toned, more rubato style of Lester ...