Search - Coleman Hawkins :: Henderson Days

3 Minute Symphonies

Johnny Hodges | Clark Fork, ID United States | 12/08/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is more of a Fletcher Henderson than a Coleman Hawkins disk. Fletch, in case you didn't know, had one of the best bands ever. If you like big band swing at all, you've probably heard his arrangements played by the likes of Benny Goodman, but they never sounded as good as when his own band played them. Unfortunately, as a poor businessman, his band never achieved the fame he deserved. And The Hawk, despite his being considered the inventor of jazz tenor sax playing, is still shamefully underappreciated by jazz fans.



These recordings, made from 1923 to 1933, capture some of the best "old timey" big band jazz you'll ever hear. On the surface, these are happy little tunes with virtuoso musicians, especially featuring the (then) groundbreaking tenor sax solos of Coleman Hawkins. Also included are: Chu Berry, Benny Carter, Buster Bailey, Louis Armstrong, Fats Waller, Peewee Russell, Glen Miller, just to hit some highlights.



Repeated in-depth listening reveals amazingly complex arrangements that well utilize the considerable skills of the assembled. You are aided in such attentive hearing by the amazing quality of the remastering job. I listen to a lot of music from this era, and I've never heard a better disc from the direct-to-disk recording era before tape was used in the studio.



75 minutes of upbeat music guaranteed to raise a smile, an intricate cross-current of melody below the surface, a vital historical document of the birth of swing and of jazz tenor sax, a clear and hiss/scratch-free recording that you'll listen to hundreds of times. Order now!



FOUR YEARS LATER:

If I had to give up all of my jazz CDs but, say, 10 (the famed Desert Island Scenario), this would be one of them. After studying and listening to a LOT of Fletch over the last few years, this collection is unbeatable for selecting his best, and the sound quality continues to amaze. Grab a used copy while ye may."