Soul

Coleman Hawkins | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (July 1, 1991)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Ojc
• ASIN: B000000Y5R
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #332,224 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Hawk Has "Soul", April 21, 2001

By 

Michael B. Richman (Portland, Maine USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Soul (Audio CD)

Coleman Hawkins may not have been the Godfather of "Soul" but he certainly was the Godfather of the Jazz Saxophone. After kick starting his second career with "The Hawk Flies High" and "The Genius of Coleman Hawkins" in 1957 (see my reviews), Hawk recorded the first of several successful sessions for the Prestige label on November 7, 1958, and the album was called "Soul." That session featured the talents of a young Kenny Burrell on guitar, Ray Bryant on piano, Wendell Marshall on bass and Osie Johnson on drums. The group smoothly glides through three standards (including the traditional "Greensleeves"), two Burrell originals ("Groovin'" and "Sunday Mornin'") and two Hawkins originals ("Soul Blues" and Sweetnin'"). "Soul" probably only deserves 4 1/2 stars, as it is not quite as masterful as "The Hawk Flies High," but I have no problem rounding up to five stars. In fact, all of Hawk's half-dozen OJC discs are well worth purchasing.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars No fault of Hawk's, January 29, 2002

By 

Joseph L. Keohane "vdamocles" (Somerville, MA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Soul (Audio CD)

This album is perhaps the least great of Hawk's Prestige recordings, which isn't to say it's bad, or that Hawk's playing is in any way subpar, just that it's less great than other outings. The problem is the rhythm section, which is inconsistant, and at times so bad as to be distracting.

Case in point, on the title track, the drums and bass come in off time, the drums too aprehensive to be effective (this is a house rocking blues tune), and the bass clearly out of key. The result is a mess that almost ruins the song. Hawk's playing, along with Kenny Burrell's and Ray Bryant's (what a soloist), is superb. But the rhythm section draws the listener's ear away from the good performances, and toward those one would expect from a high school jazz ensemble.

In the other more straight-ahead swing selections, the rhythm section is unobtrusive, which, in a case like this, is all one can ask. The rendition of Greensleeves is dark and sweet, and the Burrell contribution Sunday Morning (except for the intro, which isn't appropriate to the feel of the album - think rare groove) is savage, with Ray Bryant proving himself again to be one of the better gospel/jazz pianists around.

All in all, phenomenal performances by Hawk, KB and Bryant, and a faltering rhythm section.

3.0 out of 5 stars More soldier then soul, November 26, 2009

By 

IRate - See all my reviews

This review is from: Soul (Audio CD)

Soul Blues takes advantage of Hawkins's ability to weave at such a slinky pace, unfortunately much of the rest, while decent, is unable to solo out of predictability.