Ken Burns JAZZ Collection: Coleman Hawkins

Amazon.com
Coleman Hawkins had one of the longest creative careers in jazz, and this compilation, spanning every decade in which he recorded (and accompanying Ken Burns's 10-part documentary Jazz), emphasizes that his imagination was as enduring as his ruggedly bristling tenor saxophone sound. In the 1920s he was virtually the creator of jazz saxophone playing, freeing it from the mushy sound it had in dance bands. By the time "Bean" recorded his tune "Queer Notions" with Fletcher Henderson in 1933, he was already playing with elements of atonality in his music. 1939's "Body and Soul" is a breakthrough in the development of the jazz solo, a masterpiece of sustained harmonic invention.

While many of his generation resisted the bebop revolution of the 1940s, Hawkins was a notable sponsor, among the first to hire its exponents and to record tunes like Dizzy Gillespie's "Woody 'n' You" and Thelonious Monk's "I Mean You." In the later years of his career, he played across a broad spectrum of jazz. There's a sublime meeting here with fellow swing tenor giant Ben Webster over a Latin beat on "La Rosita." Max Roach's "Driva Man" was one of the first works of explicit social protest in jazz. And Duke Ellington wrote the concluding "Self Portrait of the Bean" for Hawkins for a 1962 session in which they belatedly joined forces. --Stuart Broomer

Ken Burns JAZZ Collection: Coleman Hawkins,Coleman Hawkins,Polygram Records,Classic Jazz,Jazz,Jazz Music,Mainstream Jazz,New Orleans/Classic Jazz,Pop,Swing

Average customer rating: A good overview from a huge discography Pour sound Great songs, bad sound Bad quality on some tracks A Good Overview of The Hawk

Ken Burns JAZZ Collection: Coleman Hawkins Coleman Hawkins Manufacturer: Polygram Records ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Bebop General | Bebop | Jazz | Styles | Music General | Jazz | Styles | Music Modern Postbebop | Jazz | Styles | Music Swing General | Swing Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music Similar Items: Ken Burns JAZZ Collection: Lester Young Ken Burns JAZZ Collection: Sonny Rollins Ken Burns JAZZ Collection: Count Basie Ken Burns JAZZ Collection: Fletcher Henderson Ken Burns JAZZ Collection: Dizzy Gillespie ASIN: B000050I3Q Release Date: 2000-11-07

Tracks:

1. The Stampede (with Fletcher Henderson & His Orchestra)
2. If I Could Be With You One Hour Tonight (with The Mound City Blue Blowers)
3. Queer Notions (with Fletcher Henderson & His Orchestra)
4. It's The Talk Of The Town (with Fletcher Henderson & His Orchestra)
5. Honeysuckle Rose
6. Body and Soul
7. The Man I Love
8. Bean At The Met
9. Woody 'n' You
10. I Mean You
11. Bean And The Boys
12. Stuffy
13. Picasso
14. La Rosita
15. Ruby, My Dear
16. Just Friends
17. Crazy Rhythm
18. Driva Man
19. Self Portrait Of The Bean

Amazon.com

Coleman Hawkins had one of the longest creative careers in jazz, and this compilation, spanning every decade in which he recorded (and accompanying Ken Burns's 10-part documentary Jazz), emphasizes that his imagination was as enduring as his ruggedly bristling tenor saxophone sound. In the 1920s he was virtually the creator of jazz saxophone playing, freeing it from the mushy sound it had in dance bands. By the time "Bean" recorded his tune "Queer Notions" with Fletcher Henderson in 1933, he was already playing with elements of atonality in his music. 1939's "Body and Soul" is a breakthrough in the development of the jazz solo, a masterpiece of sustained harmonic invention.

While many of his generation resisted the bebop revolution of the 1940s, Hawkins was a notable sponsor, among the first to hire its exponents and to record tunes like Dizzy Gillespie's "Woody 'n' You" and Thelonious Monk's "I Mean You." In the later years of his career, he played across a broad spectrum of jazz. There's a sublime meeting here with fellow swing tenor giant Ben Webster over a Latin beat on "La Rosita." Max Roach's "Driva Man" was one of the first works of explicit social protest in jazz. And Duke Ellington wrote the concluding "Self Portrait of the Bean" for Hawkins for a 1962 session in which they belatedly joined forces. --Stuart Broomer

Customer Reviews:

A good overview from a huge discography.......2002-11-18

Coleman Hawkins released so much music over his lifetime in so many styles of jazz that this is a good sampler. As far as the other reviewers complaining about the crackling, I think it's about time a company reissue 78 RPM-era recordings without removing the crackle and pops. Early jazz and blues was recorded in the kitchens of after-hours joints while breakfast was being cooked... that's the bacon sizzling in the background you hear. How else could Jimmy Rushing and Big Joe Turner maintain the girth that made them famous?
Seriously, the surface noise is a bit distracting, but a lot of those remasters where it is removed takes away subtle shades and nuances in the music. Remember too, that these sides were recorded prior to the use of magnetic tape. I'm sure that for a series like Ken Burns Jazz, which stood to make more money than any other jazz reissue campaign, the labels did not hesitate to use their best, most pristine masters available. As far as the packaging, well, yes, that could have been more attractive.

Pour sound.......2002-01-26

Great artist and the selection of songs is good, but the quality of recording is very bad. Choose something else from this artist

Great songs, bad sound.......2001-08-10

It is the music that deserves the 5 stars here, which is what I am rating it. But the sound quality on some of the tracks is terrible. And seeing as the same problem exists on a lot of the Ken Burns series, while the same songs on other cd releases have been fine in the sound quality, I have come up with the only answer possible. That those songs have been transferred straight from the original 78 rpm records. It certainly sounds that way, but I don't understand why they should do that. Surely these great jazz artists deserve the best sound possible for their masterpieces. But, all that aside, this is still a good collection to have, especially for someone unfamiliar with Hawkins, as it covers most of his career and different record labels. The booklet contains a couple of photos and an interesting essay on Hawkins. If only the sound were better!

Bad quality on some tracks.......2001-01-31

Unfortunately 5 tracks have terrible quality, you hear a loud sizzling on these tracks. You would have thought that for this special projection they could have come up with cleaner tracks. How can a producer permitted those tracks to have been printed? The noise takes away from the enjoyment of those tracks. The rest of the tracks are great and you can enjoy the beautiful playing of Hawkins. I have the Blakey, Bechet, Davis and the best of and have not experienced the same problem.

A Good Overview of The Hawk.......2000-12-18

This is a nice, tasteful collection of Hawkins's music. I especially appreciated the inclusion of "Ruby My Dear" from the Thelonious Monk album "Monk's Music", which gives one the chance to hear Hawk's emotive tenor in an atypical context.

The packaging is terrible though, as it is on all of the Ken Burns series. Jazz albums are supposed to have attractive cover art.

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