Coleman Hawkins

Bean and the Boys

HighNote Records

Coleman Hawkins, tenor saxophone with various groups, including Johnny Acea, piano; Al Lucas, bass; Osie Johnson, drums; Benny Green, trombone; Kenny Drew, piano; Tommy Potter, bass; Art Taylor, drums; Pee Wee Russell, clarinet; Charlie Shavers, trumpet; J.C. Higginbotham, trombone; Harry Sheppard, vibes; Willie 'The Lion' Smith, piano; Dicky Thompson, guitar; Vinnie Burk, bass; Sonny Greer, drums

Pretty close to essential. Bean and the Boys is a reissue that harks back to another album of the same name of somewhat older vintage and a completely different set of tunes. There is also another album with some of the same repertoire (Rifftide, The Man I Love, Body And Soul) but with Flanagan, Eldridge, Jo Jones and Malik). Which means you should go and buy anything Bean ever recorded and not worry too much about doubling. This is it. The man with the brawn. Hypnotic when he gets into his almost mantra-like solos. If there are a thousand names for God, and as many definitions of Jazz, Hawkins is one of those definitions, with a bit of God tossed in for good measure.

by Lawrence Brazier

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