This reissue illustrates
Hawkins
' influence during the swing era by focusing on his work for
Commodore
in 1940 and 1943 as well as fellow tenor great
Chu Berry
's recordings for the same label in 1938 and 1941. (
Berry
certainly wasn't the only tenor man
influenced; his big, rugged tone had a direct or indirect influence on everyone from
Illinois Jacquet
,
Ben Webster
, and
Willis Jackson
to
Sonny Rollins
and
Booker Ervin
). Though
' influence on
is undeniable,
was quite recognizable himself -- and his individuality shines through on this CD.
swings aggressively on
"Sittin' In"
"46 West 52"
in 1938 and
"Blowin' Up a Breeze"
on August 28, 1941 (only two months before he died in a car crash), while his ballad-playing on
"Stardust"
"Body and Soul"
is gorgeous and unapologetically romantic. Some jazz historians feel that
could be overly sentimental on ballads, but to this journalist, his playing was a soulful, lyrical delight. (Besides, there's no law stating that jazz has to be 100% intellect 100% of the time). Meanwhile, the
material comes from all-star sessions that
Leonard Feather
produced or co-produced; the 1943 session boasts such heavyweights as trumpeter
Cootie Williams
and pianist
Art Tatum
, while the 1940 date, billed as "
Coleman Hawkins
and the
Chocolate Dandies
," and finds trumpeter
Roy Eldridge
and alto saxophonist/clarinetist
Benny Carter
joining
on the front line.
Carter
were both part of the original
sessions of 1929-1930, and their rapport was equally strong in 1940. From the forceful to the romantic,
Tenor Giants
paints an impressive picture of both
. ~ Alex Henderson