Soul

Genius at work.

Coleman Hawkins may not have been the Godfather of "Soul" but he certainly was the Godfather of the Jazz Saxophone. After kick starting his second career with "The Hawk Flies High" and "The Genius of Coleman Hawkins" in 1957 (see my reviews), Hawk recorded the first of several successful sessions for the Prestige label on November 7, 1958, and the album was called "Soul." That session featured the talents of a young Kenny Burrell on guitar, Ray Bryant on piano, Wendell Marshall on bass and Osie Johnson on drums. The group smoothly glides through three standards (including the traditional "Greensleeves"), two Burrell originals ("Groovin'" and "Sunday Mornin'") and two Hawkins originals ("Soul Blues" and Sweetnin'"). "Soul" probably only deserves 4 1/2 stars, as it is not quite as masterful as "The Hawk Flies High," but I have no problem rounding up to five stars. In fact, all of Hawk's half-dozen OJC discs are well worth purchasing.

This album is perhaps the least great of Hawk's Prestige recordings, which isn't to say it's bad, or that Hawk's playing is in any way subpar, just that it's less great than other outings. The problem is the rhythm section, which is inconsistant, and at times so bad as to be distracting.Case in point, on the title track, the drums and bass come in off time, the drums too aprehensive to be effective (this is a house rocking blues tune), and the bass clearly out of key. The result is a mess that almost ruins the song. Hawk's playing, along with Kenny Burrell's and Ray Bryant's (what a soloist), is superb. But the rhythm section draws the listener's ear away from the good performances, and toward those one would expect from a high school jazz ensemble.In the other more straight-ahead swing selections, the rhythm section is unobtrusive, which, in a case like this, is all one can ask. The rendition of Greensleeves is dark and sweet, and the Burrell contribution Sunday Morning (except for the intro, which isn't appropriate to the feel of the album - think rare groove) is savage, with Ray Bryant proving himself again to be one of the better gospel/jazz pianists around.All in all, phenomenal performances by Hawk, KB and Bryant, and a faltering rhythm section.

I found this old vinyl record at a beer fest. (?) I really bought it because I'm a huge Kenny Burrell fan but also wanted to pick up some Coleman for some more exposure of his music. It's a terrific blend of jazz genres recorded by the master engineer Mr. Rudy Van Gelder. A terrific 1958 recording. A new treasure that I can rediscover every time I spin it.

Soul Blues takes advantage of Hawkins's ability to weave at such a slinky pace, unfortunately much of the rest, while decent, is unable to solo out of predictability.