... 78 RPM, Vinyl record

A beautiful record – but that's no surprise, since most of the later work of Coleman Hawkins tends to be great! The setting is quite laidback – and Hawkins' time-weathered tenor is placed in a perfect setting with Tommy Flanagan on piano, Major Holley on bass, and Eddie Locke on drums. The set list is spare, with simple quartet arrangements – but Hawk's solos are mindblowingly perfect, and with a great edge that you won't find in his earlier recordings. It's hard to describe what we're talking about – but the more and more we listen to his later records, the more we realize what a genius he was! Includes the tracks "Don't Love Me", "Quintessence", "Go Lil Liza", and "Swingin' Scotch". CD

Titles include "La Rosita", "Picasso", "Bean At The Met", "Cattlin' At Keynote", "Night And Day", "Hallelujah" – 16 tracks total, all selected by Sonny Rollins. CD

A classic set in the best Verve Records mode – as these two mature giants of the tenor sax get lots of room to open up and solo with a great rhythm section at the core! Both Hawkins and Webster have a fantastic sense of tone and timing – and the space of the record really lets you hear the charms of both in equal measure – with backing from Oscar Peterson on piano, Herb Ellis on guitar, Ray Brown on bass, and Alvin Stoller on drums. The best tracks have lots of room – plenty of space so that the tenors aren't "encountering" each other in too close of quarters, with space to express themselves freely – and titles include "Blues For Yolande", "Rosita", "Shine On Harvest Moon", and "You'd Be So Nice To Come Home To". LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

A great collection of French material from both players – originally recorded for 78s on the Swing label, and a key early example of the strong treatment American musicians received in Paris! LP, Vinyl record album

A way different album than usual for both tenor giant Coleman Hawkins, and up-and-coming trumpet talent Clark Terry – a very soulful set that falls much more into the spirit of the few soul jazz gems on early 60s Epic/Columbia Records! This could be because Dave Bailey's holding down the drum chores, and the record sounds a bit like his great recordings from the early 60 – a tight, soulful groove that's also got support from Tommy Flanagan on piano and Major Holley on bass! All tracks are nice and long, with strong solos from Hawkins and Terry – and there's a fantastic cut called "Tune For The Tutor", which was written by Pat Patrick, and which really grooves! Other nice ones include "Feedin' The Bean" and "Squeeze Me" – plus "Don't Worry Bout Me", and "Michelle". LP, Vinyl record album

With Don Wilson on piano, Bob Decker on bass, and Bud Dean on drums. LP, Vinyl record album

With George Tucker on bass and Oliver Jackson on drums. LP, Vinyl record album

With Benny Carter, Roy Eldridge, Big Sidney Catlett, John Kirby, & Bernard Addison. 78 RPM, Vinyl record

Includes Lester Young recordings from 1946 with Nat Cole on piano, Oscar Moore on guitar, Johnny Miller on bass, and Buddy Rich on drums, plus his quartet with Kenny Kersey on piano, Billy Hadnott on baritone, and Rossiere Shadow Wilson on drums; and Coleman Hawkins recordings from 1945 and 1946, with his quintet and quartet, with Howard McGhee on trumpet, Charles Thompson on piano, Oscar Pettiford on bass, and Denzil Best on drums; and the Jubilee All Stars with Irving Ashby on guitar. LP, Vinyl record album

Includes "I Got It Bad And That Ain't Good", "Spang", "Frog & Mule" and a few more by Webster, "Lover Come Back To Me" and "Blues Changes" by Hawkins, and "I'm Fer It Too", "I Got Rhythm", and "Hello Babe" by Young. LP, Vinyl record album

With Tommy Flanagan on piano, Major Holly on bass, and Eddie Locke on drums. LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

... 78 RPM, Vinyl record

Earl Hines leads a group that includes special guests like Roy Eldridge and Coleman Hawkins – and the material's a relatively traditional batch of tunes, done in Earl's classic piano style. The group performs an extended "Portrait Of Fats Waller", plus shorter tracks like "C Jam Blues", "Rosetta", and "Sunday". LP, Vinyl record album

Earl Hines leads a group that includes special guests like Roy Eldridge and Coleman Hawkins – and the material's a relatively traditional batch of tunes, done in Earl's classic piano style. LP, Vinyl record album

A great example of the way that older trad players found new life in the 60s modern scene – as the set was part of the same Candid Records series that captured genius from Cecil Taylor and Charles Mingus! Bob Brookmeyer brings some modern trombone elements to the set, alongside Pee Wee Russell on clarinet and Coleman Hawkins on tenor – with piano from Nat Pierce, trumpet from Emmett Berry, bass from Milt Hinton, and drums from Jo Jones! CD

An unusual live set – one that features Coleman Hawkins on tenor with vibes from Harry Sheppard on side one – plus Benny Morton on trombone and Nat Pierce on piano on side two! LP, Vinyl record album

The title's terrible, but the album's a great one – a really classic-styled jam session, of the sort that the Prestige label hardly ever recorded! The session features 4 tenor giants of slightly older vintage – Eddie Lockjaw Davis, Coleman Hawkins, Arnett Cobb, and Buddy Tate – all coming together in some loosely-structured arrangements that offer the same sympathetic blowing space that you might get from an all-star tenor date on Verve. Rhythm is by a trio with Shirley Scott on organ, George Duvivier on bass, and Art Edgehill on drums – and titles include "Very Saxy", "Fourmost", "Foot Pattin", and "Light & Lovely". CD

A great little jam session from Verve – done in a style that's looser and freer than some of the JATP albums, and with a smaller group overall! Players include Stan Getz, Paul Gonsalves, and Coleman Hawkins on tenor, Dizzy Gillespie on trumpet, and Wynton Kelly on piano – plus bass by Wendell and drums from JC Heard. There's a rougher, more spontaneous quality here than even on some of the other Norman Granz jam session records – a feel that's almost more "real" overall, as if you were catching the players all working together in a club. Each side features 2 long tracks – one upbeat and one mellow – and the tenor interplay alone is worth the price of the record! Titles include long takes on "Dizzy Atmosphere" and "The Way You Look Tonight" – plus 2 additional ballad medleys! CD

Wonderful later work by Coleman Hawkins – a player who was very much "at ease" with himself at the time, and opened up tremendously on albums like this! The format is beautiful – simple small group backings by Tommy Flanagan, Wendell Marshall, and Osie Johnson – with Coleman out front, blowing these deep and mellow tenor lines that could stop a locomotive in its tracks! Titles include "At Dawning", "I'll Get By", "For You For Me For Evermore", and "Mighty Lak A Rose". CD

A nice overview of Coleman Hawkins' career in a great 2LP set, containing material recorded between 1939 and 1947, and later work recorded in 1956. Most of the early work is in a wonderful small group format that lets Hawkins' tenor really come to the forefront. Other players on the sessions include Benny Carter, JC Higginbotham, Allen Eager, Peter Brown, and Budd Johnson – and titles include "Half Step Down Please", "Bouncing With Bean", "Meet Doctor Foo", "Spotlite", "Low Flame", and "Jumping For Jane". The later work features the orchestra of Billy Byers, including soloists Zoot Sims, Al Cohn, and Hank Jones. Coleman's the main blower, though – and the arrangements have a solid base that lets him open up in that exploratory tone he was crafting during the time. And although tracks are short, there's a heck of a lot of soul packed into them – recorded with impeccable quality, much more so than earlier sides. Titles include "I Never Knew", "Bean & The Boys", "The Essence of You", "Have You Met Miss Jones", "Dinner For One Please, James", and "I'm Shooting High". LP, Vinyl record album

A wonderful late album from Coleman Hawkins – recorded in 1956 with the orchestra of Billy Byers, including soloists Zoot Sims, Al Cohn, and Hank Jones. Coleman's the main blower, though – and the arrangements have a solid base that lets him open up in that exploratory tone he was crafting during the time. And although tracks are short, there's a heck of a lot of soul packed into them – recorded with impeccable quality, much more so than earlier sides. Titles include "I Never Knew", "Bean & The Boys", "The Essence of You", "Have You Met Miss Jones", "Dinner For One Please, James", and "I'm Shooting High". Plus, the CD features 8 bonus tracks – all unreleased extra takes! CD

A beautiful record – but that's no surprise, since most of the later work of Coleman Hawkins tends to be great! The setting is quite laidback – and Hawkins' time-weathered tenor is placed in a perfect setting with Tommy Flanagan on piano, Major Holley on bass, and Eddie Locke on drums. The set list is spare, with simple quartet arrangements – but Hawk's solos are mindblowingly perfect, and with a great edge that you won't find in his earlier recordings. It's hard to describe what we're talking about – but the more and more we listen to his later records, the more we realize what a genius he was! Includes the tracks "Don't Love Me", "Quintessence", "Go Lil Liza", and "Swingin' Scotch". LP, Vinyl record album

A classic set in the best Verve Records mode – as these two mature giants of the tenor sax get lots of room to open up and solo with a great rhythm section at the core! Both Hawkins and Webster have a fantastic sense of tone and timing – and the space of the record really lets you hear the charms of both in equal measure – with backing from Oscar Peterson on piano, Herb Ellis on guitar, Ray Brown on bass, and Alvin Stoller on drums. The best tracks have lots of room – plenty of space so that the tenors aren't "encountering" each other in too close of quarters, with space to express themselves freely – and titles include "Blues For Yolande", "Rosita", "Shine On Harvest Moon", and "You'd Be So Nice To Come Home To". CD

Notable sidemen include Benny Carter and Oscar Peterson. CD

Definite giants of the tenor sax – served up here on material from the 78rpm years of Commodore Records! Coleman Hawkins blows tenor both on sides with the Chocolate Dandies – who include Roy Eldridge on trumpet and Benny Carter on alto – and with a group that features Cootie Williams on trumpet. Frank Wess blows tenor and flute – in groups with Joe Wilder on trumpet, and either Henry Coker or Benny Powell on trombone! CD

The first LP features the full album The Hawk Relaxes – a great illustration of the gentle genius that made so many later Coleman Hawkins records so great! The relaxed setting for this record is a perfect setting for Hawkins to open up and stretch out – working his tenor with a sound that has surprising modern edges, and unusual twists and turns, yet still all the careful economy of his better-known classic sides. There's a command of the instrument here that few other aging players ever seemed to muster – always a sense of new discovery and invention that marks the work strongly, even at a time when Hawkins could have been sitting on his laurels, playing the same old tune! Titles are all standards, but don't let that fool you – because there's plenty of magic in Coleman's versions of "Moonglow", "Just A Gigolo", "Speak Low", "When Day Is Done", and "I'll Never Be The Same". Oh, and we almost forgot – just because we're so focused on Hawkins – the other players include Ronnell Bright on piano, Kenny Burrell on guitar, Ron Carter on bass, and Andrew Cyrille on drums – making a surprising early appearance here! Side 3 features material from the album Bluesy Burrell, also with Hawkins – and side 4 features material from Kenny Burrell & Ray Bryant. LP, Vinyl record album

Includes the songs "Someday Sweetheart", "Sister Kate", "The River's Takin Care Of Me", "Aint'cha Got Music", "Stringin' Along On A Shoe String", "Shadows On The Swanee", "The Day You Came Along", "Jamaica Shout", "Heartbreak Blues", "Hush My Mouth (If I Ain't Goin' South)", "You're Gonna Lose Your Gal", "Dark Clouds", "My Galveston Gal", "Happy Feet", "I'm Rhythm Crazy Now", "Ol' Man River", "Minnie The Moocher's Wedding Day", "Ain't Cha Glad", and "I've Got To Sing A Torch Song". CD

With Fats Navarro on trumpet, JJ Johnson on trombone, Milt Jackson on vibes, and Thelonious Monk on piano! LP, Vinyl record album

An all-star set for Hawk – one that has him blowing with backing from the Oscar Peterson Trio, plus some additional work by Hank Jones, and guest trumpet from Roy Eldridge, and even a bit of additional tenor from Ben Webster! Phew, with all those players on the set, you might expect the album to feature a lot of head-butting – but it's actually one of Hawk's best later sides, and was recorded in a nicely open-ended mode that lets most of the players get in some good moments without having to bump elbows. Titles include "Nabob", "Honey Flower", "Maria", and "Hanid". CD features two bonus tracks "Cocktails For Two" & "Honey Flower (alternate)". CD

A great meeting of these two classic talents – recorded live at Chicago's Opera House in the late 50s, with sound that's surprisingly great for the time! Hawkins and Eldridge are very well-matched in the frontline – blowing in a style that's easygoing yet still quite fresh and imaginative – backed here by a rhythm section that features most of the MJQ: John Lewis on piano, Connie Kay on drums, and Percy Heath on bass. Tracks include "Bean Stalkin", "The Walker", "Time On My Hands", "Tea For Two", and "Kerry". Features all material recorded at the show – 2LPs worth of music! CD

Great later work from this tenor giant – some of his sublime and surprisingly modern work for the Moodsville label! CD

A sweet little 50s session from Hawk – recorded for the World Wide subsidary of Savoy, in a great style that has plenty of room for solo space! Tracks are long, and arranged by Billy Ver Plank – with a moody small combo mode that lets Hawkins get in plenty of those edgey bits in his solos, hidden underneath ostensibly sweeter playing. The rest of the group includes Frank Wess, Marshall Royal, and Frank Foster – and titles include "Ooga Dooga", "Thanks For The Misery", "There Is Nothing Like A Dame", and "An Evening At Papa Joe's". LP, Vinyl record album

A great collection – one that features a side of material from the album Soul, with piano by Ray Bryant; and another side of a set recorded with the Red Garland Trio. Also features the full album At Ease – wonderful late work by Coleman Hawkins – a player who was very much "at ease" with himself at the time, and opened up tremendously on albums like this. The format is beautiful – simple small group backings by Tommy Flanagan, Wendell Marshall, and Osie Johnson – with Coleman out front, blowing these deep and mellow tenor lines that could stop a locomotive in its tracks! Titles include "At Dawning", "I'll Get By", "For You For Me For Evermore", and "Mighty Lak A Rose". LP, Vinyl record album

Great late work from Hawk – recorded near the end of his life, with a soulful quartet that included Barry Harris on piano and Bob Cranshaw on bass. The tracks are all fairly standard – like "Sugar", "The Man I Love", "Time On My Hands", and "The One I Love" – but Hawkins' tone is incredible, with a raspy edge, and some surprisingly modern moments that show that he was always continuing to grow as an artist. The material is issued here for the first time by Pablo Records – in a set put together in 1975. LP, Vinyl record album

A near-forgotten gem from Coleman Hawkins excellent late 50s period – recorded for the short-lived Felsted label, and done in a beautifully relaxed way! The tracks here are long and easy-going – at times even more open than Hawkins' work for Verve, and in the style he'd explore even more deeply for Prestige on some albums recorded right after this set. Hawk is playing in a quintet with Buck Clayton on trumpet, Hank Jones on piano, Ray Brown on bass, and Mickey Sheen on drums – and titles include "My One & Only Love", "Bird Of Prey Blues", "Get Set", "Ooh Wee Miss GP", and "You've Changed". Added to that set are 3 bonus tracks from the Verve album Coleman Hawkins & Confreres – featuring a group with Roy Eldridge, on the titles "Hanid", "Honey Flower", and "Nabob". And last up are 2 more live recordings from a show in New York at the Phytian Temple – MC'd by All Jazzbo Collins, and featuring a solo performance of "Foolin Around", plus a take on "The Man I Love", played by a group with Hank Jones. CD

Includes three complete albums – plus a bonus tracks from the Newport Jazz Festival and the album Coleman Hawkins & Roy Eldridge at the Opera House. CD

Great later Coleman Hawkins on Impulse – just the sort of deep-toned, soulfully-blown record that makes all his sessions for the label so great! Hawk's very firmly in the lead on that classic tenor of his – but the rest of the lineup keeps things swinging too – with Snooky Young and Bill Berry on trumpets, Urbie Green on trombone, Barry Harris on piano, and Eddie Locke on drums. The best tracks are the sparest – the album's quartet readings of "Out of Nowhere" and "Indian Summer" – but the rest of the material features some nice gutsy solos from Hawk too, and other tracks include "Bean's Place", "Marchetta", and "She's Fit". CD

A collection of recordings done for the Commodore label, with sides from Coleman Hawkins with The Chocolate Dandies and Leonard Feather's All Stars, and Frank Wess with his quintet and sextet. LP, Vinyl record album

Coleman's friends here include Roy Eldridge, Don Byas, Benny Carter, Lalo Schifrin, Art Davis, and Jo Jones! LP, Vinyl record album

Beautiful late work from Coleman Hawkins – mellow genius that wins us over time and time again over the years! The set's actually a twin-tenor outing – with both Hawk and Eddie Jockjaw Davis – the latter of whom, as proved with Johnny Griffin and others, is a perfect partner for any other player on his horn – one able to slide in just the right way, augmenting things and adding his voice while never overdoing it. Given the long tracks on the record, and the very easygoing rhythms from Tommy Flanagan on piano, Ron Carter on bass, and Gus Johnson on drums – you've got a cracker of a record, and one that yeilds more and more upon each new listen! Titles include "There Is No Greater Love", "Night Hawk", "In A Mellow Tone", and "Pedalin". CD

A wonderful little record – a real standout in both the careers of Milt Jackson and Coleman Hawkins! The album captures Hawk during his great later years – that time when his sound was even more soulful and inventive than ever – with lots of odd modern undercurrents that really work nicely with the album's slight Latin inflections – a bit like those you might hear on some of Hawkins' Impulse Records material from the same generation. Milt Jackson's vibes are great too – chromatic and edgey, and set up with rhythm support from Kenny Burrell on guitar, Tommy Flanagan on piano, Eddie Jones on bass, and Connie Kay on drums. Titles include "Indian Blues", "Don't Take Your Love From Me", "Sandra's Blues", "Stuffy", and "Close Your Eyes". LP, Vinyl record album

A startling meeting of two generations of tenor sax – recorded during one of Sonny Rollins' best periods on record, but featuring some even more amazing work from Coleman Hawkins! The album's proof that in his later years, Hawkins was a modernist who could match wits with the best players of the 60s – and blowing here with Rollins, there's an equal amount of freshness and intensity shared by both players, old and young. The backing group is equally modern too – with Paul Bley on piano, Henry Grimes on bass, and Roy McCurdy on drums – who together spur both Hawk and Sonny into solos that never fail to amaze! Tracks include "At McKies", "All The Things You Are", "Summertime", and "Yesterdays". CD

A great example of the way that older trad players found new life in the 60s modern scene – as the set was part of the same Candid Records series that captured genius from Cecil Taylor and Charles Mingus! Bob Brookmeyer brings some modern trombone elements to the set, alongside Pee Wee Russell on clarinet and Coleman Hawkins on tenor – with piano from Nat Pierce, trumpet from Emmett Berry, bass from Milt Hinton, and drums from Jo Jones! CD

A late 70s pressing of some classic Verve sides from the 50s, featuring two masters of the tenor, blowing side by side in a couple of small group settings: one with rhythm backing by Oscar Peterson, Herb Ellis, Ray Brown, and Alvin Stoller and the other with Jimmy Jones, Les Spann, Ray Brown and Jo Jones, plus Roy Eldridge and Budd Johnson in the frontline. The best tracks have lots of room – plenty of space so that the tenors aren't butting heads with each other in too close of quarters, with space to express themselves freely. Titles include "Blues For Yolande", "La Rosita", "Shine On Harvest Moon", "You'd Be So Nice To Come Home To", "It Never Entered My Mind", "De-Dar", "Time After Time", "Young Bean" and "In A Mellowtone". LP, Vinyl record album

A great little album from Kenny Burrell – one that has Ray Barretto's congas on most cuts, giving the album a similar Latiny feel to Kenny's classic Midnight Blue album on Blue Note! The Latin undercurrent hits both New York and bossa-styled modes – a great setting for Burrell's thin, snakey lines on guitar – and also a surprisingly great showcase for the tenor of Coleman Hawkins, which really opens up nicely in this setting – in ways that are a bit like his own bossa date for Impulse, or the sound of Ike Quebec's Soul Samba album! Rhythm is by Tommy Flanagan on piano, Major Holley on bass, and Eddie Locke on drums – and titles include "Tres Talbras", "Montono Blues", "Guilty", "No More", and "It's Getting Dark". CD

2 great 60s sessions from Duke Ellington – both with a key tenorist! First up is Duke Ellington & Coleman Hawkins – the meeting of two classic talents late in their careers – in a setting that's ideal to bring out all the complexity of their well-honed genius! The approach of the album is mostly an Ellington one – as the group features some of Duke's stalwarts, like Ray Nance, Johnny Hodges, Harry Carney, Lawrence Brown, and Aaron Bell – but Coleman Hawkins gets plenty of space as the main soloist on each number, alongside Duke, who also solos strongly on piano! As with most later records by the players, the writing is great – with a lot more dark moments than you'd expect – and titles include "The Rictic", "You Dirty Dog", "Limbo Jazz", "Wanderlust", and "Self Portrait Of The Bean". Next is Duke Ellington & John Coltrane – a seminal meeting of the old and new generations of jazz in the 60s – put together in perfect Impulse fashion! At some level, this is actually an early 60s John Coltrane Quartet album – with Duke Ellington sitting in for McCoy Tyner on piano, as that's the lineup on about half of the album – tracks that feature Coltrane on tenor, Elvin Jones on drums, and Jimmy Garrison on bass, all working with Ellington on the keys. On other titles, though, the album features Coltrane playing with a Duke-ish trio that has Aaron Bell on bass and Sam Woodyard on drums – slightly less modern, but with a nice sense of depth throughout! Overall, the the record does a great job of balancing between the best talents of both players – and titles include "Big Nick", "The Feeling Of Jazz", "Take The Coltrane", and "My Little Brown Book". LP, Vinyl record album

A nice collection of famous work by tenor players recorded for Verve and Norgran – all packaged in a classic David Stone Martin cover! Titles include "All Of Me" and "Pastel" by Illinois Jacquet, "Tenderly" and "Almost Like Being In Love" by Ben Webster, "With The Wind & The Rain In Your Hair" and "I Hadn't Anyone Till You" by Stan Getz, "I Didn't Know What Time It Was" and "Take The A Train" by Flip Phillips, and "Swinging On A Star" and "Charlie's Venture" by Charlie Ventura. LP, Vinyl record album

Includes 88 tracks recorded with Miles Davis, Lester Young, Illinois Jacquet, Max Roach, Teddy Wilson, Hank Jones, Ben Webster, Don Byas, and others! CD

... 78 RPM, Vinyl record

Collects 20 tracks including "Hello Lola", "Bouncing With The Bean", "Dinah", "Say It Isn't So", "Hocus Pocus", "April In Paris", two versions of "Body & Soul", and some rare television performances which are included on the DVD! CD

A great collection of rare material by Hawk, put together by Henri Renaud for CBS France. The set features tracks recorded in a number of different settings – with The Chocolate DAndies, Red McKenzie's Mound City Blue Blowers, Benny Goodman, Jack Purvis Orchestra, Count Basie, and Hawkins' own orchestra. Titles include "Dark Clouds", "Hush My Mouth", "Ain't Cha Got Music", "9:20 Special", and "Feedin The Bean". LP, Vinyl record album

A collection of rare recordings for the Selmer, Ca-Song, Circle, and Vogue labels, with titles that include "Hawk's Variations", "The Old Songs", "The Man I Love", "I'll Know", and more. LP, Vinyl record album

A really unusual chapter of the Coleman Hawkins catalog – an album of easy-going ballads and late nite tracks, recorded with backings from arranger Frank Hunter – hence the title of the set! Hunter's using some lush strings on the set, but not in a way that gets in front of Hawkins' horn – and Coleman gets plenty of room to blow on the session, recorded here in a nice echoey mode that brings out the deepness of his tone even more than usual! Rhythm is by 2 different trios – one with Dick Hyman, Milt Hinton, and Osie Johnson; the other with Hank Jones, George Duvivier, and Jimmie Crawford – and tunes include "Easy Walker", "Traumerei", "Lazy Butterfly", "Pebbles", "Not Quite Right", "Whisper To Me", "Lonely Tenor", and "Hawk Talk". LP, Vinyl record album

A key album in the reintroduction of Coleman Hawkins in the late 50s – recorded in a style that still bears a lot of traces of earlier years, but at a time when Hawk was being claimed as a key influence by a variety of younger modernists! The set's got a sense of freedom that's really surprising – especially on the longer numbers, which unfold with some playful instrumental twists that seem to come especially from trumpeter Idrees Sulieman and trombonist JJ Johnson – both of whom are great on the record. Other players include Hank Jones on piano, Barry Galbraith on guitar, and Oscar Pettiford on bass – and titles include "Juicy Fruit", "Think Deep", "Blue Lights", "Sanctity", and "Chant". LP, Vinyl record album

A key album in the reintroduction of Coleman Hawkins in the late 50s – recorded in a style that still bears a lot of traces of earlier years, but at a time when Hawk was being claimed as a key influence by a variety of younger modernists! The set's got a sense of freedom that's really surprising – especially on the longer numbers, which unfold with some playful instrumental twists that seem to come especially from trumpeter Idrees Sulieman and trombonist JJ Johnson – both of whom are great on the record. Other players include Hank Jones on piano, Barry Galbraith on guitar, and Oscar Pettiford on bass – and titles include "Juicy Fruit", "Think Deep", "Blue Lights", "Sanctity", and "Chant". CD

The Hawk Relaxes, but never lets himself go – and a set like this is a great illustration of the gentle genius that made so many later Coleman Hawkins records so great! The relaxed setting for this record is a perfect setting for Hawkins to open up and stretch out – working his tenor with a sound that has surprising modern edges, and unusual twists and turns, yet still all the careful economy of his better-known classic sides. There's a command of the instrument here that few other aging players ever seemed to muster – always a sense of new discovery and invention that marks the work strongly, even at a time when Hawkins could have been sitting on his laurels, playing the same old tune! Titles are all standards, but don't let that fool you – because there's plenty of magic in Coleman's versions of "Moonglow", "Just A Gigolo", "Speak Low", "When Day Is Done", and "I'll Never Be The Same". Oh, and we almost forgot – just because we're so focused on Hawkins – the other players include Ronnell Bright on piano, Kenny Burrell on guitar, Ron Carter on bass, and Andrew Cyrille on drums – making a surprising early appearance here! CD

Long, lean, and later work by Coleman Hawkins – recorded in a beautifully stripped-down and free setting at the Village Gate! The tracks are all pushing the 10 minute mark – and feature Hawk soloing in that open, exploratory way he was using during the time – a mix of older traditions and slight moments of modernism – carried off with gentle accompaniment from a trio led by Tommy Flanagan on piano. The tenor dominates – and dominates beautifully – and titles include "All The Things You Are", "Mack The Knife", and "Talk Of The Town". LP, Vinyl record album

A near-forgotten gem from Coleman Hawkins excellent late 50s period – recorded for the short-lived Felsted label, and done in a beautifully relaxed way! The tracks here are long and easy-going – at times even more open than Hawkins' work for Verve, and in the style he'd explore even more deeply for Prestige on some albums recorded right after this set. Hawk is playing in a quintet with Buck Clayton on trumpet, Hank Jones on piano, Ray Brown on bass, and Mickey Sheen on drums – and titles include "My One & Only Love", "Bird Of Prey Blues", "Get Set", "Ooh Wee Miss GP", "Vignette" and "You've Changed". CD

A near-forgotten gem from Coleman Hawkins excellent late 50s period – recorded for the short-lived Felsted label, and done in a beautifully relaxed way! The tracks here are long and easy-going – at times even more open than Hawkins' work for Verve, and in the style he'd explore even more deeply for Prestige on some albums recorded right after this set. Hawk is playing in a quintet with Buck Clayton on trumpet, Hank Jones on piano, Ray Brown on bass, and Mickey Sheen on drums – and titles include "My One & Only Love", "Bird Of Prey Blues", "Get Set", "Ooh Wee Miss GP", "Vignette" and "You've Changed". LP, Vinyl record album

A near-forgotten gem from Coleman Hawkins excellent late 50s period – recorded for the short-lived Felsted label, and done in a beautifully relaxed way! The tracks here are long and easy-going – at times even more open than Hawkins' work for Verve, and in the style he'd explore even more deeply for Prestige on some albums recorded right after this set. Hawk is playing in a quintet with Buck Clayton on trumpet, Hank Jones on piano, Ray Brown on bass, and Mickey Sheen on drums – and titles include "My One & Only Love", "Bird Of Prey Blues", "Get Set", "Ooh Wee Miss GP", "Vignette" and "You've Changed". LP, Vinyl record album

Includes cuts from two 40s sessions – from 1944 with Dizzy Gillespie, Vic Coulsen, Ed Vanderveer, Leonard Lowry, Leo Parker, Don Byas, Budd Johnson, Clyde Hart, Oscar Pettiford, and Max Roach; and from 1949 with Hubert Fol, Nat Peck, Jean-Paul Mengeon, Pierr Michelot, and Kenny Clarke. LP, Vinyl record album

A collection of recordings off of "Influence Of Five" and "Tenor Hierarchy" – with Roy Eldridge on trumpet, Benny Carter on alto, Bernard Addison on guitar, John Kirby on bass, and Sid Catlett on drums on one side; plus Cootie Williams on trumpet, Art Tatum on piano, Edmond Hall on clarinet, Oscar Pettiford on basss, Al Casey on guitar, and Sid Catlett on drums on the flip. LP, Vinyl record album

Great late work from Hawk – recorded near the end of his life, with a soulful quartet that included Barry Harris on piano and Bob Cranshaw on bass. The tracks are all fairly standard – like "Sugar", "The Man I Love", "Time On My Hands", and "The One I Love" – but Hawkins' tone is incredible, with a raspy edge, and some surprisingly modern moments that show that he was always continuing to grow as an artist. The material is issued here for the first time by Pablo Records – in a set put together in 1975. CD

An excellent session! The record's filled with soul, emotion, and most of all, a hell of a lot of creativity – enough to show that Coleman Hawkins was still a great force to be reckoned with, even when labels were sticking him into loose blowing sessions like this! The group features Kenny Burell on guitar and Ray Bryant on piano – by Hawkins dominates with his solos, dark-edged washes of soul and sound that grab you by the gut and keep you listening throughout. Titles include "Soul Blues", "Groovin", "Sweetnin", and "Sunday Mornin". CD

With Don Wilson on piano, Bob Decker on bass, and Buddy Dean on drums. LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

Notable sidemen include Trummy Young on trombone, Buck Clayton on trumpet, Illinois Jacquet and Flip Phillips on tenor, and Buddy Rich on drums. CD

A cool collection of Prestige Records work – with performances by Coleman Hawkins, Willis Jackson, Gene Ammons, Frank Wess, Dave Pike, Thad Jones, Ted Curson, and others! LP, Vinyl record album

Cuts from a 1933 session featuring Coleman Hawkins with Red Allen, JC Higginbotham, Hilton Jefferson, Horace Henderson, Bernard Addison, John Kirby, and Walter Johnson; plus a 1936 session featuring Mary Lou Williams with Booker Collins, Ted Robinson, and Ben Thigpen. LP, Vinyl record album

Great long jam session tracks – pulled from the albums Coleman Hawkins/Things Ain't What They Used To Be and Coleman Hawkins/Years Ago. Features Coleman Hawkins and Al Sears on tenor, Jimmy Hamilton on clarinet, Hilton Jefferson on alto, and Joe Thomas and Joe Newman on trumpets. LP, Vinyl record album

A wonderful little record – a real standout in both the careers of Milt Jackson and Coleman Hawkins! The album captures Hawk during his great later years – that time when his sound was even more soulful and inventive than ever – with lots of odd modern undercurrents that really work nicely with the album's slight Latin inflections – a bit like those you might hear on some of Hawkins' Impulse Records material from the same generation. Milt Jackson's vibes are great too – chromatic and edgey, and set up with rhythm support from Kenny Burrell on guitar, Tommy Flanagan on piano, Eddie Jones on bass, and Connie Kay on drums. Titles include "Indian Blues", "Don't Take Your Love From Me", "Sandra's Blues", "Stuffy", and "Close Your Eyes". CD

With Thad Jones on trumpet, George Duvivier on bass, Eddie Costa on piano and vibes, and Osie Johnson on Drums. LP, Vinyl record album

Fantastic work from the great Coleman Hawkins – seminal Keynote Records material from the pre-bop years! Some tracks feature Hawkins on tenor with Charlie Shavers on trumpet and Teddy Wilson on piano – and others feature Hawkins in a group with Herman Chittison on piano, Joe Thomas on trumpet, and Jack Teagarden on trombone! Hawkins also leads his own All American Five for all of side one – a group with Buck Clayton on trumpet, Teddy Wilson on piano, Slam Stewart on bass, and Denzil Best on drums. LP, Vinyl record album

Gritty grooves from Coleman Hawkins – a set that has the aging tenorist still working in swing-based formation, but with a much blusier tone than on his Verve albums of the decade! The group's a small one – with Hawkins on tenor and Charlie Shavers on trumpet – plus some especially nice guitar work from Tiny Grimes, who really underscores the soul of the session, and almost makes the whole thing feel a bit more laidback and open than usual. Rhythm is from the trio of Ray Bryant on piano, George Duvivier on bass, and Osie Johnson on drums – and the album features two very long tracks – "Hawk Eyes" and "C'Mon In" – which are more blowing session numbers – plus the shorter tunes "Stealin The Bean", "La Rosita", "I Neer Knew", and "Through For The Night". LP, Vinyl record album

Well, Hawk isn't really in Paris on this one – as the album was recorded in New York, with backings by Manny Albam – but the spirit of Paris is very much alive on the tunes, which are a mixture of postwar French favorites, and others that have a similar sound. Albam's backings are light and gentle, and Hawkins tenor dominates all tracks, blowing easily and soulfully on well-placed solos. Titles include "La Chnouf", "April In Paris", "Mon Homme", "Under Paris Skies", "I Love Paris", and "La Mer". CD

Long, lean, and later work by Coleman Hawkins – recorded in a beautifully stripped-down and free setting at the Village Gate! The tracks are all pushing the 10 minute mark – and feature Hawk soloing in that open, exploratory way he was using during the time – a mix of older traditions and slight moments of modernism – carried off with gentle accompaniment from a trio led by Tommy Flanagan on piano. The tenor dominates – and dominates beautifully – and titles include "All The Things You Are", "Mack The Knife", "Joshua Fit The Battle Of Jericho" and "Talk Of The Town". CD

Material from three different JATP performances – all with the tenor of Coleman Hawkins firmly upfront! LP, Vinyl record album