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: His playing bridges the gap between stride and bebop, offering stellar rhythmic support and tasteful solos.
: Burrell’s "chunking" quarter notes and melodic solos provide a cool, sophisticated counterpoint to Hawkins’ more aggressive delivery.
: They maintain a steady, locked-in time that allows Hawkins the freedom to explore the "space" above the beat. The Master of Balladry Coleman Hawkins - Soul (1992) [EAC-FLAC]
: 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.
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 playing bridges the gap between stride
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.
One of the album's defining characteristics is Hawkins' choice of personnel. He famously sought out the "best of the young musicians," and here he is backed by a rhythm section that provides a modern, swinging foundation: The Master of Balladry : The opening 10-minute
: A Kenny Burrell original that leans into the gospel aesthetic, highlighting the seamless interplay between Hawkins' tenor and Burrell's bluesy guitar. Structural Analysis: The Young Rhythm Section