Coleman Hawkins & His Orchestra plays \"Body and Soul\" recorded on October 11, 1939.
Gene Rodgers opens on the piano. It opens with Ebm-7, going from E flat minor flatted 7th to Db to A to Ab. Great way to open a record!
This is one of the most famous and influential jazz recordings--it is in the top ten. It not only is brilliant but sold well (unlike, say, Charlie Parker discs), establishing the saxophone as a key jazz instrument for solo purposes, proving to everyone that the tenor sax is capable of long solos without being monotonous. This is virtuoso playing on the saxophone as never heard before!
Coleman Hawkins did for the tenor sax what Louis Armstrong did for the trumpet--each master made listeners notice a familiar instrument in a new way.
For Coleman Hawkins in the studio at the time, it was just another recording, but it made a huge impact upon release. The Johnny Green melody had been around since 1930, and Benny Goodman had already shown what a jazz musician can do with Green's unique chord changes, but Hawkins' landmark Bluebird disc re-established the song as a standard for all jazz musicians.
Lester Young was also a master on the tenor sax, and I'm curious if Prez ever commented on Hawkins' recording.
Coleman Hawkins is on tenor sax, starting on a low register and slowly making his way up to higher registers.
Gene Rodgers is on piano.
Tommy Lindsay & Joe Guy are on trumpet.
Earl Hardy on trombone
Jackie Fields & Eustis More on alto sax
William Oscar Smith on bass
Arthur Herbert on drums
Coleman Hawkins \"Body and Soul\" (1939) GREATEST JAZZ RECORD? tenor sax virtuoso solo
