One of the most innovative, experimental and outlandish figures in American jazz, saxophonist Ornette Coleman dramatically altered the direction of the genre. A leading musician on the avant-garde scene, Coleman was among the pioneers of the free jazz movement, alongside Charles Mingus, Eric Dolphy and John Coltrane. His unconventional techniques, stark arrangements and unique playing style opened up a host of possibilities for what could be achieved in the field of jazz, and in so doing he earned himself a reputation that is as potent today as ever it was. This 4CD set compiles all eight Ornette Coleman albums released between 1958 and 1962, from his stunning debut Something Else, through to his final album with the Ornette Coleman Quartet, Ornette On Tenor. Featuring over five hours of music, remastered to the highest standard possible, this collection serves as both an excellent starting point for those new to this musical genius, and as a welcome reminder of Coleman s most acclaimed and respected era, from a career that lasted the best part of 70 years, ended only by the man s passing in 2015 at the age of 85.
The stunningly creative decade following Coleman Hawkins’ return to the States from Europe in 1939 is chronicled on this remastered four-disc set. Containing tracks recorded under both his own name and with other bandleaders, this four-disc set includes “When Lights are Low,” “One Sweet Letter from You,” “Easy Rider,” and many more.
This CD contains the material Hawkins recorded for Al Benson's Parrot label in Chicago. Discographical details about these tracks remain incomplete but it seems all items were made in Aug. 1953 - despite various other recording dates found in reference-books and biographies. He was playing a residency at the "Toast of the Town" club in Aug. 1953 when Benson seized the opportunity to record for his new label. Only 4 tracks were actually issued on 45/78s - incidentally one with a romantic typo: "I'll Follow My Secret Heart" appeared as "I'll Follow My Sacred Heart!" Benson obviously tried to experiment, yet neither the vocal choir nor the organist helped Hawkins a lot. It seems that a 10" or 12" LP was originally planned but Benson never issued it. Tracks: I'll See You Later - What a Difference a Day Made - I'll Follow My Sacred Heart - Blue, Blue Days - Flight Eleven - Modern Fantasy - Confessing' - September Song - You Can't Take That Away from Me - Should I - Last Stop - Lullaby of Birdland - Get Happy - Out of Nowhere - Blue Lou - Stompin' at the Savoy - Just You, Just Me.
Digitally remastered edition of this release by the Jazz legend. Coleman Hawkins' the Hawk Swings is's set originally issued on Crown. It shows the pioneer of Jazz saxophone was as relevant in the early 1960s as he was in the '20s/'30s. High quality Hard Bop with a bluesy edge, this record features a line-up of musicians familiar to those who read the backs of Blue Note and Prestige LPs: Ossie Johnson drums, Thad Jones on trumpet, George Duvivier on bass and the excellent Don Costa on piano and vibes. Boplicity.
This superb recording features a reunion of two of jazz's finest - tenor-saxophonist Coleman Hawkins and clarinetist Pee Wee Russell. At the time of this session, the two had not been on a recording date together in 32 years. Here they revisit "If Could Be With You One Hour", a song they first recorded in a classic version back in 1929.
One of jazz's most powerful tenor saxophonists is heard at his freewheeling, unfettered best on The George Coleman Quintet in Baltimore, a hitherto unheard live recording from the Famous Ballroom in Baltimore, Maryland in 1971. It's a hard swinging and free wheeling, a style George Coleman was known for!
'Free Jazz: A Collective Improvisation' is an influential album by the American jazz saxophonist and composer Ornette Coleman. Released in 1961, the album had a profound impact on the development of avant-garde jazz and has influenced countless musicians in various genres. The album is renowned for it's innovative approach to group improvisation, where multiple musicians play freely and interactively without predetermined harmonic progressions or fixed time signatures. The recording uses stereo panning to separate the two quartets into the left and right channels, creating a spatial effect that enhances the listening experience. The album originally consists of a single continuous piece, split into two parts for the original LP release. This performance lasts almost 40 minutes. This CD release contains a CD only bonus track: 'First Take' of approx. 17 minutes. This track is an alternate take of the main piece 'Free Jazz', recorded during the same session. It provides listeners with insight into the creative process and the evolution of the final performance featured on the original album.
Classic recording from the most influential tenor sax player in the history of modern jazz, Coleman Hawkins, performing a selection of jazz standards. Also featured are Hawk originals "Red Beans," "Hawk Eyes" and "Through for the Night". Digitally remastered.
Hawk Talk is a superbly rich and lush album. Hawkins displays a real sensitivity to classical music and, perhaps more than any other album, displays a variety of musical timbres. Highlights include the melancholic ballad "Lonely Tenor" and the sultry "Whisper to Me".
George Coleman's resume is the stuff of legend. He cut his jazz teeth alongside some giants of the art form, joining Max Roach's ensemble in the 1950s, the Miles Davis Quintet, along with the bands of Herbie Hancock, Chet Baker and Elvin Jones. Mention must also be made of his work as a leader, which has inspired literally generations of saxophonists. Even with such an all-inclusive career, Coleman is still full of surprises and here on his new recording he gives his audience something they've never heard from him before - his first recording backed by a string orchestra. If you're into jazz history, you know this kind of project has some serious roots. Think Charlie Parker's "With Strings," or Stan Getz's "Focus"-albums where sax players let their lyrical side shine through lush orchestral arrangements. Coleman Hawkins did it. Ben Webster, too. Now, George Coleman joins the club, and it was certainly worth the wait. So why strings, and why now? Because Coleman is still growing. Still reaching. He's telling you a story he's been holding onto for years. This project isn't just another notch in his belt-it's a gift, plain and simple. An autumnal gem from a living legend, it gives us all a new way to hear George Coleman-still pushing boundaries, still playing from the heart.
Coleman Hawkins - "Coleman Hawkins and Confreres (Verve Acoustic Sounds Series)". Released in 1958 on Verve, Hawkins playing is particularly confident and eloquent throughout the set. His group of "confreres" on the session is fortified by the Oscar Peterson Trio along with sit-in guests, including Hank Jones (piano), Herb Ellis (guitar), and Roy Eldridge & Buck Clayton (trumpet) among others. The relaxed atmosphere of the session is particularly noticeable in the title, "Sunday," in which Roy Eldridge comes into the limelight with a brilliant solo. Coleman Hawkins' voluminous, supple sound which had a great influence on the styles of so many horn players who followed is best heard after Roy's solo in "Honey Flower." Verve Acoustic Sounds Series features transfers from analog tapes and remastered 180-gram vinyl in deluxe gatefold packaging.
Limited edition of 1000 numbered copies on white coloured 180-gram audiophile vinyl. Free Jazz: A Collective Improvisation is a studio album by American jazz saxophonist Ornette Coleman, released in September 1961. The recording session took place on December 21, 1960, at A&R Studios in New York City. The album is named after the then-nascent free jazz movement. The music is a continuous free improvisation with only a few brief pre-determined sections, recorded in one take with no overdubbing or editing. The album features what Coleman called a "double quartet, " i.e., two self-contained jazz quartets: each with a reed instrument, trumpet, bass, and drums. The two quartets are heard in separate channels, with Coleman's working quartet at the time in the left channel, and the second quartet, including the former Coleman rhythm section of Charlie Haden and Ed Blackwell, on the right. The two quartets play simultaneously. Free Jazz was the first album-length improvisation at thirty-seven minutes, unheard of at the time. The original LP package incorporated Jackson Pollock's 1954 painting The White Light. The cover is a gatefold with a cutout window in the lower right corner allowing a glimpse of the painting; opening the cover revealed the full artwork, along with liner notes by critic Martin Williams.
Track Listing 1. Body and Soul 2. When Day Is Done 3. Bouncing With Bean 4. April in Paris 5. Angel Face 6. I Love You 7. There Will Never Be Another You 8. Little Girl Blue 9. Bean Stalks Again, The 10. Have You Met Miss Jones?
Personnel includes: Coleman Hawkins (tenor saxophone); Thelma Carpenter (vocals); Benny Carter (alto saxophone, trumpet); Eustice Moore, Budd Johnson (alto saxophone); Fats Navarro, Jimmy Nottingham, Tommy Lindsay, Joe Guy (trumpet); Jimmy Buffington (French horn); J.C. Higginbotham, J.J. Johnson, Urbie Green, Jack Satterfield (trombone); Julius Baker, Sid Jekowsky (flute); Danny Polo (clarinet); Phil Bodner (oboe); Hal McKusick, Zoot Sims, Al Cohn (reeds); Marty Wilson (vibraphone); Gene Rodgers, Hank Jones (piano); Lawrence Lucie, Chuck Wayne, Barry Gailbraith (guitar); Johnny Williams, Milt Hinton, Oscar Smith, Jack Lesberg (bass); Walter Johnson, Max Roach, Osie Johnson, Art Herbert (drums); Phil Kraus (bells).
Recorded between October 11, 1939 and January 20, 1956. Includes liner notes by Ira Gitler.
Digitally remastered by Joe Lopes and Jay Newland (1991, BMG Recording Studios, New York, New York).
On APRIL IN PARIS, the king of tenor saxophone plays in myriad musical settings recorded over three decades. Hawkins' inimitable dark-toned sound is documented over these ten tracks. However, his classic recordings from the '30s and '40s demonstrate his legacy best. Whether it is "Body and Soul" or "Bouncing With Bean," Hawk's woody, vibrato-laden approach is in full bloom.
Songs such as "There Will Never Be Another You," "Little Girl Blue," and "Have you Met Miss Jones?" are enhanced by the delicate and lush sound of a string orchestra. Hawkins, known for a thick, almost abrasive sound, plays lighter and more romantically (a la his friend Lester Young) on these tracks.
