Search - Coleman Hawkins, Chu Berry :: Tenor Giants

This reissue is deceptive at first--by the looks of it, one would assume it's one of those honking, tenor-sax duels of the "Jazz at the Philharmonic" variety (think Illinois Jacquet vs. Flip Phillips). However, tenor-sax greats Coleman Hawkins and Chu Berry, although they both recorded during the same era, never actually dueted--not here anyway. As an integral member of Cab Calloway's Big Band, Berry's sessions as a leader were few. However, in 1938 and again in '41, Milt Gabler, who owned Commodore records, supervised the young tenor man in a session like the ones he organized for Hawkins around the same time. What Tenor Giants, then, consists of is several recordings of Berry and Hawkins leading bands through small-band swing, sometimes using the same players (the great Roy Eldridge appears in both bands) but never appearing in tandem. Their styles on tenor are different--as can be heard on the first version of "I Can't Believe That You're in Love with Me," marked by the Hawk's softer and more well-rounded tone (Benny Carter's clarinet solo is also no slouch). Berry, in turn, had a more harmonically frenetic jab that would've probably caught on as much as Hawkins if the former hadn't died in 1941. They share a spirited prebop sensibility, with lots of mournful, bluesy textures and high-flying solos as Berry and his ensemble tackle standards of the day, from "Stardust" to a version of "Body and Soul" that starts out like a dirge. Berry really soars on his own "Blowin' Up a Breeze" (written in tandem with Hot Lips Page, who plays excellent trumpet), and the general spirit of harmonious interplay and good-time vibes is generally contagious throughout. --Joe S. Harrington