This set documents a historic occasion. Although Coleman Hawkins had been an admirer of Duke Ellington's music for at least 35 years at this point and Ellington had suggested they record together at least 20 years prior to their actual meeting in 1962, this was their first (and only) meeting on record. Although it would have been preferable to hear the great tenor performing with the full orchestra, his meeting with Ellington and an all-star group taken out of the big band does feature such greats as Ray Nance on cornet and violin, trombonist Lawrence Brown, altoist Johnny Hodges, and baritonist Harry Carney. High points include an exuberant "The Jeep Is Jumpin'," an interesting remake of "Mood Indigo," and a few new Ellington pieces. This delightful music is recommended in one form or another.

It's hard to believe that the saxophone once took a back seat to the trumpet and the cornet as a jazz instrument, but in fact, that was very much the case in the 1890s, 1900s, and 1910s. The rise of Coleman "Bean" Hawkins in the '20s, however, changed that; thanks to the popularity and visibility that Hawkins enjoyed as the tenor star of Fletcher Henderson's orchestra, saxophonists became incredibly prominent in jazz - and any jazz musician who is playing a saxophone today (be it tenor, alto, soprano, baritone, or bass) owes him a huge debt of gratitude. Bennie Wallace is well aware of that debt, which is why the tenor man salutes him with such enthusiasm on Disorder at the Border: The Music of Coleman Hawkins. Recorded live at the Berlin JazzFest in Germany on November 6, 2004, this 65-minute CD celebrates what would have been Hawkins' 100th birthday…

One of Hawkins's better Prestige sessions (originally on its Swingville subsidiary) finds him fronting a then-modern rhythm section for a variety of basic originals, the ballad "I Want to Be Loved" and "It's a Blues World." The lengthy "Bean's Blues" is the highpoint of this generally relaxed session.

By the time these recordings were cut, Hawkins had almost fully come into his own as the first real threat on the tenor saxophone. His work with Fletcher Henderson's band during the '20s had put him center stage, and he was on the brink of a five-year European sojourn by the time the last tracks here came out. The collection starts out with two numbers Hawkins cut with Red McKenzie's Mound City Blue Blowers, including the hot-blowing "Hello Lola!," and proceeds with highlights from a Jack Purvis date from 1930. The nine sides Hawkins recorded with trumpeter Henry "Red" Allen in 1933, though, represent the disc's high point…

Part of the ultimate audiophile Prestige stereo reissues from Analogue Productions — 25 of the most collectible, rarest, most audiophile-sounding Rudy Van Gelder recordings ever made. All cut at 33 1/3 and also released on Hybrid SACD All mastered from the original analog master tapes by mastering maestro Kevin Gray.

Hawkins's last strong recording finds the veteran, 43 years after his recording debut with Mamie Smith's Jazz Hounds, improvising creatively on a wide variety of material on this CD, ranging from "Intermezzo" and "Here's That Rainy Day" to "Red Roses for a Blue Lady" and "Indian Summer." Best is an adventurous version of "Out of Nowhere" that shows that the tenor-saxophonist was still coming up with new ideas in 1965.

This exciting CD has 20 diverse performances that were originally produced by Leonard Feather for the Victor label during 1946-47. The first eight selections feature various versions of Esquire's All-American Award Winners and have some unique combinations of musicians. "Long Long Journey" was the first record to match together Duke Ellington (who verbally introduces the song) and Louis Armstrong, and on "Snafu" Armstrong takes a surprisingly modern solo that hints at bebop. Trumpeter Charlie Shavers creates a remarkable improvisation on "The One That Got Away," ltoist Johnny Hodges plays beautifully on "Gone with the Wind" and other key players include tenor saxophonist Don Byas, trumpeter Buck Clayton, trombonist J.J. Johnson and tenor saxophonist Coleman Hawkins. In addition, there are selections featuring trombonist Jack Teagarden, the 52nd Street All-Stars (with Shavers, Hawkins and tenorman Allan Eager), the tenor of Lucky Thompson, trumpeter Neal Hefti, altoist Benny Carter, singer Mildred Bailey and solo piano records by Art Tatum and Erroll Garner. The mid-to-late '40s were a particularly rich period for jazz and this highly recommended CD is filled with gems.

Coleman Hawkins was the first breakthrough tenor sax soloist and he remains one of the greatest ever. For over 40 years, he held court - blowing away the competition with his creative improvisations and rock solid grasp of harmony. Originally released on Verve in 1958, Coleman Hawkins and His Confreres features two tracks with the ever-swinging Oscar Peterson Trio and leads by tenor Ben Webster and trumpeter Roy Eldridge. A true meeting of friends, this relaxed but undeniably virtuosic album is a musical snapshot of a crack group of jazz giants at the height of their powers. The chill atmosphere is particularly noticeable in the title "Sunday" in which Eldridge comes into the limelight with a brilliant solo.

The sound of Coleman Hawkins remains, after all these years, as immediately recognizable as his direct and compelling ability to swing. No jazzman played with more fire the uptempo tunes and no one could be more persuasive on ballads. With the fluent support of his then-regular rhythm section, he made these four excellent albums. Three Good Old Broadway, No Strings, Make Someone Happy which include jazz versions of Broadway show tunes, are from Prestiges Moodsville series. The fourth, Today and Now, made for Impulse, explores everything from gentle, moody ballads and bluesy, mid-tempo pieces to some Hawk originals. Overall, this 2-CD set is an interesting mixture of classics and undeservedly lesser-known compositions…

Coleman Hawkins was already well on his way to becoming the first master of the tenor saxophone when these sides were recorded. With his ten-year incubation with the heralded Fletcher Henderson band in the past (not to mention fine stints with McKinney's Cotton Pickers and various session outfits), Hawkins moved to Europe in 1934 and proceeded to hone his tough yet romantic sound with a variety of overseas groups. This Classics disc covers the first half of his eventual five-year sojourn. In addition to the four sides with pianist Stanley Black that kick things off, the 22 cuts find Hawkins in the adequate, yet somewhat stiff, company of continental contingents from The Hague, Paris, and various other locales…

Classics brings you another fine round of Hawkins' swing and bebop sides. This time out, the focus is on the last years of the '40s and Hawkins' work with bebop stars like J.J. Johnson, Fats Navarro, Max Roach, and Hank Jones. In addition to the legendary "Picasso" and an amazing "April in Paris," Hawkins is also heard on several fine sides ("It's Only a Paper Moon," "Sophisticated Lady") from a 1949 Paris date with bassist Pierre Michelot and drummer Kenny Clarke. A fine way to delve deeper into the extensive and varied Coleman Hawkins catalog.

Although he adapted better than most swing-era musicians to the bop revolution that swept through jazz in the late '40s, Coleman Hawkins was still viewed by the record labels as a swing artist, and he recorded infrequently in the early '50s. His tough, romantic tenor saxophone sound was considered by many to be dated, although most bop tenor players knew better, and his stature rebounded as the decade wore on. This collection opens with three marvelous tracks recorded at Carnegie Hall during a Jazz at the Philharmonic concert, but the balance of the set (save for the lovely "And So to Sleep Again" and the striking "If I Could Be With You") feels like Hawkins in limbo, playing what is essentially incidental mood music…