ENDEIT
Coleman Hawkins
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Saxophonists · 1904–1969

Coleman Hawkins

American jazz saxophonist (1904–1969)

Born
21 November 1904
St. Joseph
Died
19 May 1969
New York City
Country
United States
Active
1921–
Record labels
Candid Records, Apollo Records
Discography
76 albums

Biography

Coleman Hawkins was a jazz musician who played saxophone. Coleman Hawkins was born on 21 November 1904 in St. Joseph and died on 19 May 1969 in New York City. The music is usually filed under jazz. Record labels: Candid Records and Apollo Records. The discography here lists 76 albums, from “Sir Charles Thompson and His Band Starring Coleman Hawkins” (1954) to “Coleman Hawkins and His Orchestra” (2025).

Coleman Randolph Hawkins (November 21, 1904 – May 19, 1969), nicknamed "Hawk" and sometimes "Bean", was an American jazz tenor saxophonist. One of the first prominent jazz musicians on his instrument, as Joachim-Ernst Berendt explained, "There were some tenor players before him, but the instrument was not an acknowledged jazz horn." Hawkins biographer John Chilton described the prevalent styles of tenor saxophone solos prior to Hawkins as "mooing" and "rubbery belches". Hawkins denied being first and noted his contemporaries Happy Caldwell, Stump Evans, and Prince Robinson, although he was the first to tailor his method of improvisation to the saxophone rather than imitate the techniques of the clarinet.

Read the full article on Wikipedia ↗ · From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Discography

Studio and live albums

Sir Charles Thompson and His Band Starring Coleman Hawkins 1954 · Vanguard The "Hawk" Talks 1955 · Decca Records The Hawk Returns 1955 · Savoy Records The Hawk in Hi-Fi 1956 · RCA Victor At The Opera House 1957 · Live · High Definition Tape Transfers The Genius of Coleman Hawkins 1957 · Verve The Hawk Flies High 1957 · Riverside Soul 1958 · Prestige The Gilded Hawk 1958 · Capitol Records The High and Mighty Hawk 1958 · Felsted Hawk Eyes 1959 · Prestige Swingville: Coleman Hawkins With the Red Garland Trio 1959 · Swingville At Ease With Coleman Hawkins 1960 · Moodsville Coleman Hawkins and Confrères 1960 · Verve Jazz Reunion 1961 · Candid Night Hawk 1961 · Prestige Stasch 1961 · Swingville The Hawk Relaxes 1961 · Moodsville The Hawk Swings 1961 · Crown Records Desafinado 1962 · impulse! Back in Bean's Bag 1963 · Columbia Hawkins! Alive! At The Village Gate 1963 · Live · Verve Coleman Hawkins 1965 Wrapped Tight 1965 · impulse! Hawk in Germany 1972 · Live · Black Lion Records 52nd Street; Volume 2 1974 · Onyx Records Sirius 1974 · Pablo In the Hush of the Night 1977 · Versatile At The Bayou Club Volume 1 1983 · Live · Vogue Body And Soul At The Bayou Club Volume 2 1984 · Live · Vogue Lover Man 1987 · Live · France’s Concert Bean Stalkin' 1988 · Live · Pablo Body and Soul 1988 · West Wind In a Mellow Tone 1988 · Original Jazz Classics Accent on Tenor Sax 1989 · Fresh Sound Records
Live in Concert 1989 · Live
The Hawk Swings, Volume 2 1989 · Live · Fresh Sound Records Three Great Swing Saxophones 1989 · Bluebird
Coleman Hawkins: 1927-1939 1990
Father Bean 1990 · JazzLab Tenor Genius at the Festivals in Cannes and Paris 1990 · Live · West Wind
Commodore Classics In Swing Coleman Hawkins 1991
Dali 1991 · Stash Records, Inc. Hawkins! Eldridge! Hodges! Alive! + Alive! At The Village Gate 1992 · Live · Verve Jam Session in Swingville 1992 · Prestige Standards / Warhorses 1993
The Hawk Takes Flight 1993
The Hawk in Paris 1993 · Live · Bluebird The Bop Years 1994 · Musica Jazz Supreme 1995 · Live · enja Cool Groove 1996 · Drive Archive Hawk Talk 1996 · Tradition Records Sax, vol 1 1996 · EPM Musique Solitude 1996 · Dove Music Good Old Broadway 1997 · JVC The Genius of Coleman Hawkins 1997 · Verve Dutch Treat! Coleman Hawkins in Holland 1998 · Avid Hawk's Groove 1999 · Hallmark Records At the Golden Circle 2001 · Dragon Bean and the Boys 2001 · Live · HighNote Records Portrait 2001 · Past Perfect Get Happy 2002 Prestige Profiles 2004 · Prestige At Newport 2007 · Live · Verve and His Confréres 2010 · Fresh Sound Records Coleman Hawkins 2011 · Seven Music The Lost 1950 Munich Concert 2014 · Live · Solar Records Savoy Ballroom Sessions (Live) 2018 · Blue Lagoon Selected Sessions (1934-1943) 2019 · Legacy The Complete 1960 Essen Jazz Festival 2019 · Live · Essential Jazz Classics Too Cool 2022 · Delta Music Hawk Eyes 2023 · Music Manager Coleman Hawkins and His Orchestra 2025 · High Definition Tape Transfers Disorder At The Border · Live · Kuarup Discos
Hawkins! Alive! At the Village Gate
Jazz/Tones

Also plays on

Albums where Coleman Hawkins is credited as a sideman

1946 Bird & Pres at JAPT — Bird & Pres tenor saxophone
1956 Braff!! — Ruby Braff tenor saxophone
1956 Ruby Braff — Ruby Braff tenor saxophone
1957 The Big Challenge — Cootie & Rex tenor saxophone
1958 Sittin' In — Stan Getz, Dizzy Gillespie, Coleman Hawkins, Paul Gonsalves, Wynton Kelly, J.C. Heard, Wendell Marshall tenor saxophone
1958 Blues Groove — Tiny Grimes with Coleman Hawkins tenor saxophone
1959 Coleman Hawkins encounters Ben Webster — Ben Webster encounters Coleman Hawkins tenor saxophone
1959 Ben Webster and Associates — Ben Webster tenor saxophone
1959 Bean Bags — Milt Jackson tenor saxophone
1960 Big Joe Rides Again — Big Joe Turner tenor saxophone
1960 Live at the Fivespot — Randy Weston tenor saxophone
1961 Thelonious Monk with John Coltrane — Thelonious Monk with John Coltrane tenor saxophone
1961 We Insist! Max Roach’s Freedom Now Suite — Max Roach tenor saxophone
1961 Straight Ahead — Abbey Lincoln tenor saxophone
1962 2 3 4 — Shelly Manne tenor saxophone
1963 Duke Ellington Meets Coleman Hawkins — Duke Ellington & Coleman Hawkins tenor saxophone
1963 Sonny Meets Hawk! — Sonny Rollins & Coleman Hawkins tenor saxophone
1963 Bluesey Burrell — Kenny Burrell with Coleman Hawkins tenor saxophone
1965 Grand Reunion: Recorded Live at the Village Vanguard — Earl Hines tenor saxophone
1971 All The Cats Join In (A Buck Clayton Jam Session) — Buck Clayton tenor saxophone
1988 The Complete Essen Jazz Festival Concert — Bud Powell tenor saxophone
1990 Small Combos 1937-1940 — Lionel Hampton tenor saxophone
1992 Hot Mallets, Volume 1 — Lionel Hampton tenor saxophone
1995 James P. Johnson & Coleman Hawkins — James P. Johnson & Coleman Hawkins tenor saxophone
1998 Gershwin Jazz — George Gershwin performer
2001 His Best Recordings 1929-1949 — Lionel Hampton tenor saxophone
2008 How Hi the Fi / Jumpin' at the Woodside — Buck Clayton tenor saxophone
2017 1960 Essen, Grugahalle — Bud Powell tenor saxophone
— Rockin' With Spoon — Jimmy Witherspoon tenor saxophone

Analysed solos by Coleman Hawkins

Historic 78 rpm records

  • OL' PAPPY Benny Goodman · Coleman Hawkins · Mildred Bailey archive.org ↗
  • GEORGIA JUBILEE BENNY GOODMAN & HIS ORCHESTRA · Manny Klein · Charlie Margulis ·… archive.org ↗
  • HOW HIGH THE MOON Willie Smith · Coleman Hawkins, Flip Phillips · Buck Clayton ·… archive.org ↗
  • EMALINE BENNY GOODMAN & HIS ORCHESTRA · Coleman Hawkins · Manny Klein ·… archive.org ↗
  • HOW HIGH THE MOON Willie Smith · Coleman Hawkins; Flip Phillips · Buck Clayton ·… archive.org ↗
  • GEORGIA JUBILEE BENNY GOODMAN & HIS ORCHESTRA · Coleman Hawkins · Manny Klein… archive.org ↗
  • SWINGING IN THE GROOVE COLEMAN HAWKINS TRIO · Coleman Hawkins · Maurice Van Clef · Freddy… archive.org ↗
  • JUNK MAN Benny Goodman · Coleman Hawkins · Mildred Bailey archive.org ↗

Listen on Spotify

Frequently asked questions

What instrument did Coleman Hawkins play?

Coleman Hawkins is known for playing saxophone.

When and where was Coleman Hawkins born?

Coleman Hawkins was born 21 November 1904 in St. Joseph.

What are Coleman Hawkins's best-known albums?

Albums in our database include Sir Charles Thompson and His Band Starring Coleman Hawkins (1954), The "Hawk" Talks (1955), The Hawk Returns (1955), The Hawk in Hi-Fi (1956) and At The Opera House (1957).

External links

Data compiled from open sources; see the source links below. Spotted an error? Let us know.