RIP, Coleman Hawkins (1904 - 1969)

Jazz saxophonist Coleman Hawkins died on May 19, 1969, at the age of 64 in New York City. His health had been failing for several years, and he suffered from a liver ailment. Hawkins finally succumbed to pneumonia and is interred in the Yew Plot at the Woodlawn Cemetery in the Bronx.

In his obituary for Hawkins in the New York Times, critic John S. Wilson said, "During Mr. Hawkins's career, which spanned almost half a century, he created the first valid jazz style on the tenor saxophone, influenced countless saxophonists and was in the vanguard of jazz development." Miles Davis once said, "When I heard Hawk, I learned to play ballads."

In his book, The 101 Best Jazz Albums, Len Lyons does not recommend any Coleman Hawkins albums per se, but Hawkins appears on a couple of recommended albums by other artists:

• Fletcher Henderson and Don Redman, Developing an American Orchestra 1923-1927 (Smithsonian Collection). Unfortunately, that album is only available in vinyl.
• Lionel Hampton, The Complete Lionel Hampton, 1937-1941 (RCA AXM6-5536, 6 LPs). The album is available on CD from Amazon.com. 

Coleman Hawkins plays his most famous piece, "Body and Soul," here:

Robert
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