On August 18, 1962, The Duke Ellington Octet that includes Coleman Hawkins had been in a New York recording studio, busy making an album for the Impulse! label. Impulse! was nonetheless a comparatively new imprint on the time, having issued its first 4 albums in early 1961. Becoming a member of Ellington and Hawk had been Ray Nance (cornet, violin), Lawrence Brown (trombone), Johnny Hodges (alto sax), Harry Carney (baritone sax, bass clarinet), Aaron Bell (bass), and Sam Woodyard (drums). The outcome was Duke Ellington Meets Coleman Hawkins, an album the New York Instances described as “one of the great Ellington albums, one of the great Hawkins albums, and one of the great albums of the 1960s.”
Hawk had been an admirer of Duke for nicely over 30 years by this time, however this was the primary (and solely) time that the 2 giants really recorded collectively. It’s a document made up of outdated songs and new songs. The brand new songs had been written by Ellington, with two of them penned by his bandleader and long-time saxophonist Johnny Hodges.
Of the Ellington/Hodges compositions, “Wanderlust” is without doubt one of the highlights of the document – bluesy jazz at its best possible. Ray Nance, specifically, shines. The splendidly exuberant “The Jeep is Jumpin,” stuffed with fabulous prospers and aptitude is one other standout.
“Self Portrait (of the Bean),” referencing certainly one of Hawkins’s nicknames, is classy mellow jazz. The album closes with a typical, the attractive “Solitude,” which opens with Nance’s pretty violin. In slightly below six minutes, you’ll perceive the sheer fantastic thing about jazz.
After which there’s the brilliance of Duke Ellington himself. He’s been referred to as the Renaissance Man of jazz, and whereas this album doesn’t stray a lot from what the composer and bandleader does greatest, it shouldn’t be missed. The New York Instances was proper.
Launched in January 1963, Billboard gave Duke Ellington Meets Coleman Hawkins “Special Merit” standing in its evaluation part, saying, “Here’s one for collectors. It’s a brand new recording by Duke surrounded by king-size sidemen, playing with the indefatigable Hawk.” All true, after which some.
Duke Ellington Meets Coleman Hawkins could be purchased right here.
