: They maintain a steady, locked-in time that allows Hawkins the freedom to explore the "space" above the beat. The Master of Balladry
While Soul may not be as revolutionary as his early swing recordings or his brief forays into bebop, it remains an essential retrospective of his peak creative years. It captures a moment in jazz history where the "Father of the Tenor Sax" successfully integrated the emerging soulful sounds of the late 50s without sacrificing the harmonic complexity that defined his legacy. Coleman Hawkins - Soul (1992) [EAC-FLAC]
: His "rhapsodic, personal version" of this traditional tune is exquisitely breathy . While some critics found it "difficult to sit through" due to its sentimentality, others view it as a prime example of his ability to personalize familiar material. : They maintain a steady, locked-in time that
Recorded on November 7, 1958, at the legendary Van Gelder Studio , the album captures Hawkins in his fifties, an "elder statesman" who remained remarkably open to younger influences. Despite the title, this is not a gritty R&B record; rather, it explores "soul" through the lens of deep blues feeling and gospel-tinged phrasing. : His "rhapsodic, personal version" of this traditional
: The opening 10-minute track is an extended tour de force that demonstrates Hawkins' ability to build tension through rhythmic displacement and a "large sound" full of wide vibrato.