Coleman Hawkins - 'The Hawk Flies High'

By the time he recorded 'The Hawk Flies High' in 1957, Coleman Hawkins had already been playing music professionally for over 35 years.  Coleman made his reputation as the first great tenor saxophonist, essentially validating the instrument as a jazz horn, and was an important figure in swing, big band, and bebop.  Not content to fade into irrelevancy like many other swing and big band players, by the 1950s he was still holding his own against young players.  His style and improvisational ability was so versatile, that he managed to transcend trends.

During his 40-plus year career, he recorded and toured with such jazz legends as Thelonious Monk, Miles Davis, Sonny Rollins, John Coltrane, Dizzy Gillespie, Max Roach, and Duke Ellington.  His improvising skill was legendary, having considerable influence on younger players such as Sonny Rollins and John Coltrane.  Despite his relative late age at the time of recording, "Hawk", as he was commonly known, was still hip to the avant-garde, and even surrounded himself with some younger players to be his sidemen.

'The Hawk Flies High' is filled with memorable melodies, exciting interplay, and furious solos, there is no doubt that this is a landmark jazz album.  In 2008, for its 50th anniversary, the Riverside label revived this classic record as part of the Keepnews Collection series with a much needed remastering.

Most of the songs on the record were recent compositions, some of which were written by the band members themselves, though  "Laura" an old standard, is included towards the center of the six-track album.  Songs, such as "Juicy Fruit" and "Blue Lights" demonstrate how Hawk's brilliant powers as an improviser could hold up to more modern material.  Filled with memorable melodies, exciting interplay, and furious solos, there is no doubt that this is a landmark jazz album, that still sounds fresh 67 years later.

Along with Coleman Hawkins on tenor saxophone, are:
J.J. Johnson on trombone
Idrees Sulieman on trumpet
Hank Jones on piano
Barry Galbraith on guitar
Oscar Pettiford on bass
Jo Jones on drums

If you are already familiar with 'The Hawk Flies High', you will appreciate the 24-bit remastering by Joe Tarantino, with its increased clarity and instrument separation.

For the freeload what types of birds do you see where you live?