Search - Coleman Hawkins :: At Ease With Coleman Hawkins

One of my all-time favorite Hawk cd's

Jack Dempsey | South Miami Beach, Florida | 11/19/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I have a ton of Hawk cd's. Yet this is one that I invariably reach for time and time again. It is absolutely flawless from start to finish. There is absolutely not one wrong note on this entire session, not one thing that I would change, except perhaps, out of selfishness, to make it a bit longer. 42 minutes just does not seem long enough.



But if you know the Hawk when he's blowing ballads, you know what to expect. Although it doesn't explicitly say it, this was done for the Moodsville series. So that kind of gives you the vibe on this one. So does the title though. But then you have Tommy Flanagan on the keys, and on upright, you have Wendell Marshall who set things so right on Red Garland's session during "When There Are Grey Skies." The bottom line is that you are in for a treat from the moment you pop this baby in your cd player. Dim the lights, turn up the volume, curl up with your baby, and you know what to do. At the same time, and speaking from experience, this cd is perfect for letting you know, late at night (or early in the morning depending on how you look at things), that "fella, you ain't in things alone and many a good man has done been down exactly the same road you're traveling." It's a comforting reminder, believe me.



So this is a cd for all times, good and bad and it's a dam! beautiful one. You can't pass this one up any longer. Get it today. You'll thank yourself and then kick yourself for not getting it a long, long time ago."

Hawkins at his best

Jack Dempsey | 02/14/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I'm a fan of hawkins and have this great title on LP. The content is wonderful. Classic hawkins-melancholy with a gentle beat. Tommy Flanagan shines on Piano here, and images almost dead center (rare for 60's jazz recording). If you like hawkins, and jazz for that matter, this one's a must."

My Favorite Saxophone Player

Daniel B. Pepper | New York | 08/10/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"While I'm mostly a "moldy fig", which is a fan of Jazz from the 1920s and 1930s (aka: Dixieland or New Orleans Jazz), I also enjoy the beautiful Billie Holiday and the dazzling Django Reinhardt. Coleman Hawkins is a man who doesn't play in the New Orleans style, nor in the Bebop style, which I don't care for at all. Instead, he plays relaxed, romantic, sexy music that makes time stand still. His music is gentle like a summer breeze and has a lilting beauty to it. Though this record was cut after what many consider to be Hawkins' prime, it is thoroughly great. I've read some complaints on Allmusic.com that the saxophone playing is not as adventurous as his previous efforts. Perhaps this is true, but the songs are extended in length and thus have more room to breathe and develop. None of the songs on this disc equal his signature song, "Body And Soul", but this is some wonderful, latter-period Coleman Hawkins."