Coleman Hawkins Encounters Ben Webster

Occupation

Coleman Hawkins Encounters Ben Webster is a jazz album by Coleman Hawkins, recorded on 16 October 1957, published in 1959 on the Verve label.

Background to the album

Coleman Hawkins Encounters Ben Webster is in the context of also recorded on the previous day for Ben Webster Verve album Soulsville almost identical occupation as well as the album The Genius of Coleman Hawkins, also with the Oscar Peterson Quartet as a support group. The Encounters album heard so in a number of jazz albums in which Norman Granz, the Quartet Oscar Peterson began as a backing band numerous successful recordings, such as Roy Eldridge Album Roy and Diz 1954, Stan Getz and the Oscar Peterson Trio in 1957, Lester Young's Laughin to Keep from Cryin ' Ben Webster Meets Oscar in 1958, Peterson 1959, which now belong to the classic albums of mainstream jazz.

1957 was for the swing tenor Hawkins a good year in February resulted in a Capitol album with string accompaniment ( The Gilded Hawk ), in March he took with Jay Jay Johnson, Idrees Sulieman and Hank Jones The Hawk Flies High for prestige on followed by sessions with artists as diverse as Henry " Red" Allen and Thelonious Monk and John Coltrane ( " Monk's Music " ) in June. In October, the recordings for Norman Granz ' Verve label young emerged, among other factors, Encounters the album was recorded. Then Hawk participated in a Reunionsession the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra; in December Hawkins appeared in the series " The Sound of Jazz" on television. In addition, Hawkins went to Jazz at the Philharmonic on tour; in this context also emerged in October live recordings ( Coleman Hawkins and Roy Eldridge at the Opera House).

"It was an indirect student-teacher ratio ," which Hawkins and Webster joined since those days, because Webster had taken its place in the Fletcher Henderson band: "For where had the history of the tenor saxophone with Hawkins since started Webster was the first, who continued to write creatively, and so it was for more than just one of the ... » the and meets such and such " sessions, as the sensitive poet and the fire-breathing dragon sometimes on October 16, 1957 finally went for the first time into the studio together. "

Edition history

The album was released under the Verve MGV 8377 numbers or 2304169 The first CD edition ( 823120-2 ) contained the original album. ; the later, published in 1997, reprint additionally the broken takes of " Blues for Yolande ", where one can see the formation of the title. Two other recorded at this session titled, " Maria " and " Cocktails for Two", released on CD first on diverse Hawkins compilations like " Compact Jazz" or " Verve Jazz Masters " as well as on the album and confreres Hawkins ( Verve 835255-2 ) coupled to 1958 shots taken in Hawks with trumpeter Roy Eldridge.

Title

Musical Analysis and Review of the album

Digby Fairweather in "Jazz Rough Guide " means the Encounters album as " the classic musical meeting between two former giants "; Ralf Dombrowski rated it as an equally unspectacular as charming " highlight the swinging old school". For Hawkins biographer Teddy Doering is the album " a great moment not only of Hawk, but also of Webster. Both tenor share almost all solos, and the Peterson Quartet sees himself in the role of a perfect accompaniment playing. " Hawkins and Webster known each other since the 1930s; and so is this session " marked by a mutual admiration, but of respect and closeness. This is always clear when every one from the solo takes over, or better continues. With two exceptions, Hawk has the first solo, Ben has time to listen, and he goes when his turn to be on the previously played one. " In Never Entered My Mind and You'd Be So Nice To Come Home To Webster opened the first solo. "Both presented their fluency aside and focus concentrated on to shine primarily by sound, line design and solo dramaturgy. " Up to the first piece of plate, a Blueskompistion of Hawkins, they chose for pieces from the Great American Songbook.

" Unsurpassed masterpiece of the two is " Blues for Yolande "; after rolling, bluesy introduction of Peterson has only three choruses Hawkins, in which he increases step by step, until that screeching climax at the beginning of drtten chorus. Then comes Webster, behave very first to his turn to take an increase, but not like Hawk from her tone, but with the phrasing. "

Webster "blows his mentor Coleman Hawkins simply on the wall ," was the verdict of Bob Blumenthal, Jazz -author, among others, for the " Boston Phoenix " in his review, "For me this was the period in which Webster his at the height of expression was. " Richard Cook and Brian Morton awarded the highest rating in the Penguin Guide to Jazz album. In a BBC Listener Survey, the album was selected on the 32th place among the 100 best jazz records of all time. In the " Rolling Stone Record Guide ," the album received the maximum five star rating.

Literature / Sources

  • Ian Carr, Digby Fairweather & Brian Priestley: Rough Guide Jazz, Stuttgart, Metzler 2004 ( 2nd edition), ISBN 978-3-476-01892-2
  • Richard Cook & Brian Morton The Penguin Guide to Jazz on CD 6th edition. ISBN 0-14-051521-6
  • Ralf Dombrowski basic nightclub jazz, Stuttgart, Reclam 2005; ISBN 978-3-15-018372-4
Record label Genre Capitol Records Prestige Records Rodgers and Hart Cole Porter Leo Robin Johnny Mercer Jack Norworth Nora Bayes Richard Cook (journalist) Barney Kessel
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