Coleman Randolph Hawkins (November 21, 1904 – May 19, 1969), nicknamed “Hawk” and sometimes “Bean”, was an American jazz tenor saxophonist. One of the first prominent jazz musicians on his instrument, as Joachim E. Berendt explained: “there were some tenor players before him, but the instrument was not an acknowledged jazz horn”. Hawkins biographer John Chilton described the prevalent styles of tenor saxophone solos prior to Hawkins as “mooing” and “rubbery belches.” Hawkins cited as influences Happy Caldwell, Stump Evans, and Prince Robinson, although he was the first to tailor his method of improvisation to the saxophone rather than imitate the techniques of the clarinet.
Hawkins’ virtuosic, arpeggiated approach to improvisation, with his characteristic rich, emotional, and vibrato-laden tonal style, was the main influence on a generation of tenor players that included Chu Berry, Charlie Barnet, Tex Beneke, Ben Webster, Vido Musso, Herschel Evans, Buddy Tate, and Don Byas, and through them the later tenormen, Arnett Cobb, Illinois Jacquet, Flip Phillips, Ike Quebec, Al Sears, Paul Gonsalves, and Lucky Thompson. While Hawkins became known with swing music during the big band era, he had a role in the development of bebop in the 1940s.
Fellow saxophonist Lester Young, known as the “President of the Tenor Saxophone,” commented, in a 1959 interview with The Jazz Review: “As far as I’m concerned, I think Coleman Hawkins was the president, first, right? As far as myself, I think I’m the second one.” Miles Davis once said: “When I heard Hawk, I learned to play ballads.” (wikipedia)
Wrapped Tight is an album by the American jazz saxophonist Coleman Hawkins of performances recorded in 1965 for the Impulse! label.
A reviewer for Billboard commented: “Manny Albam’s arrangements guide the larger group with swinging style and grace. ‘Beautiful Girl’ and ‘She’s Fit’ are particularly outstanding.”[6]
Writing for Life, Carter Harman called the album “another anthology of wonderful standards,” and noted that it “proves that the tenorman, in his 40th year of fame, can still compete favorably with the younger crowd on their own terms.”
A writer for Negro Digest stated that the album “drives home a lesson sorely needed in the often cultist world of jazz: that genuine artistry is a thing of its itself, transcending the superficialities of form, style and vogue.” (wikipedia)
Hawkins’s last strong recording finds the veteran, 43 years after his recording debut with Mamie Smith’s Jazz Hounds, improvising creatively on a wide variety of material on this CD, ranging from “Intermezzo” and “Here’s That Rainy Day” to “Red Roses for a Blue Lady” and “Indian Summer.” Best is an adventurous version of “Out of Nowhere” that shows that the tenor-saxophonist was still coming up with new ideas in 1965. (by Scott Yanow)
Personnel:
Bill Berry (trumpet on 01. – 03. + 07.- 10.)
Buddy Catlett (bass)
Urbie Green (trombone)
Barry Harris (piano)
Coleman Hawkins (saxophone)
Eddie Locke (drums)
Snooky Young (trumpet on 04., 06., 11+ 12.)
Tracklist:
01. Marcheta (Schertzinger) 3.06
02. Intermezzo (Mascagni) 3.38
03. Wrapped Tight (Albam) 3.31
04. Red Roses For A Blue Lady (Tepper/Bennett) 2.26
05. She’s Fit (Hawkins) 2,45
06. Beautiful Girl (Brown/Freed) 4.28
07. And I Still Love You (Rivelli/Roberts/Clayton) 3.15
08. Bean’s Place (Clayton/Hammer) 2.58
09. Here’s That Rainy Day (Burke(v.Heusen) (*) 5.25
10. I Won’t Dance (Hammerstein II/Harbach/Kern) (*) 3.22
11. Indian Summer (Dubin/Herbert) 5.04
12. Out Of Nowhere (Green/Heyman) 3.44
(*) bonus tracks
More from Coleman Hawkins:
GRP has cobbled together a set of performances from labels it now has under its umbrella, such as Impulse and Cadet, as well as from albums released under its own name. There’s no intent here to put together a survey of the development of the tenor saxophone. Rather, this album is an unabashed effort to attract those who celebrate good tenor sax playing in general, and ballad sax in particular — and it works. If there were a hall of fame for tenor sax players, all the performers present on this disc would have been inaugural inductees. Coleman Hawkins, the first true tenor sax improviser, is represented with “Solitude” and “Mood Indigo” from the memorable recording he made with Duke Ellington; an added treat on “Solitude” is the fine violin playing of Ray Nance. John Coltrane’s inimitable ballad style is put on display with “You Don’t Know What Love Is” and “It’s Easy to Remember,” an effort by the Impulse label to make Coltrane more “popular” with jazz fans. The playing of the tenor saxophone’s psalm, “Body and Soul,” is awarded to Paul Gonsalves, who follows the improvisational path that Hawkins took on his 1939 recording. Ben Webster, James Moody, Sonny Stitt, Illinois Jacquet, and the soul-laden horn of Stanley Turrentine are also present.
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