Coleman Hawkins Good Old Broadway (1962) [xrcd Remastered 2000]

Coleman Hawkins is frequently identified as the "father" of jazz tenor saxophone playing. With a perfect rhythm section featuring his working band - Tommy Flanagan on piano, Manor Holley, Jr. on bass, and Eddie Locke on drums, Hawkins showcases his illuminating artistry on this collection of love songs from Broadway shows. This "classic" Hawkins album has never before been available on CD.

The sound of Coleman Hawkins remains, after all these years, as immediately recognizable as his direct and compelling ability to swing. No jazzman played with more fire the uptempo tunes and no one could be more persuasive on ballads. With the fluent support of his then-regular rhythm section, he made these four excellent albums. Three Good Old Broadway, No Strings, Make Someone Happy which include jazz versions of Broadway show tunes, are from Prestiges Moodsville series. The fourth, Today and Now, made for Impulse, explores everything from gentle, moody ballads and bluesy, mid-tempo pieces to some Hawk originals. Overall, this 2-CD set is an interesting mixture of classics and undeservedly lesser-known compositions…

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…

Part of the ultimate audiophile Prestige stereo reissues from Analogue Productions — 25 of the most collectible, rarest, most audiophile-sounding Rudy Van Gelder recordings ever made. All cut at 33 1/3 and also released on Hybrid SACD All mastered from the original analog master tapes by mastering maestro Kevin Gray.

Today and Now is an album by American jazz saxophonist Coleman Hawkins featuring performances recorded in 1962 for the Impulse! label. Coleman Hawkins has a distinctively mellow sound, which on this disk he applies to both some gorgeous ballads (Quintessence and Don't Love Me) and some upbeat so-called "folk" songs (especially Go Lil' Liza and Swingin' Scotch).

Recorded originally for the Prestige subsidiary Moodsville, Coleman Hawkins (along with the Tommy Flanagan Trio) sticks exclusively to ballads and slower pieces, all played at a low flame. Although it is nice to hear the veteran tenor interpreting "Poor Butterfly" and "I'll Get By," this CD is more successful as pleasant background music than as creative jazz.

This CD pulls material together from sessions dating between 1958 and 1962. After fourty years of legend status Hawkins was still inspiring, and being inspired by, younger musicians. Among those supporting the venerable icon are Red Garland, Tommy Flanagan, Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis, Ron Carter, and Kenny Burrell. The generally laid back material ranges from standards, tender blues, a couple up-tempo blowing numbers, and an enjoyable nonet piece on "Jammin'in Swingville". While the take on "Greensleeves" seems a bit sappy, this is an entertaining, if unspectacular set of music from Coleman Hawkins. Longtime fans of Bean will be pleased with this cd, and while it is not the best introduction to one of the giants of jazz, it is enjoyable enough to recommend to new listeners because Hawkins' faculties are in check, and he still possesed one of the best sounds of all time.