One of my favorite Jazz CDs - This is definitely one of my favorite Jazz albums in my collection of over 200 Jazz CDs. It is a terrific ensemble of 7 great instrumentalists. It is true, as one reviewer objected, that Hawkins gives equal solo time to the other soloists, but I think that this is exactly what makes this album so special. It combines great ensemble writing with excellent solos. All 6 pieces pulse with abundant energy and style. I especially like the 2 longer pieces, Juicy Fruit and Sancticity that clock in at 11 and 9 minutes respectively. But the shorter pieces are also great. Chant and Blue Lights are both funky. Think Deep has a haunting melody that makes me think of film noire movies. This is followed by Laura which actually is from a film noire film of the same title.Juicy Fruit has an incredible 1 minute note held by trumpeter Idrees Sulieman which he follows up with a wonderfully inventive solo, no mean feat! I was so impressed by his solo that I looked for other CDs by or with him and purchased Now is the Time (1976) which he headlined and The Cats (1957) which was another ensemble project headlined by Tommy Flanagan, John Coltrane, Kenny Burrell, and Sulieman, this was recorded just one month after The Hawk Flies High. These are also very good CDs. Sulieman also has other exciting solos throughout the album.Hawkins sounds great in his solos on all 6 pieces despite the fact that he had been playing since the 1920s. But age is no detriment to great musicians, I recently heard Sonny Rollins at his 50th anniversary Carnegie Hall concert when he was over 80 and still sounded great. Sonny also sounds great on his recent Sonny, Please album. Wayne Shorter is another saxophonist still releasing albums in the past few years despite having started in the 1960s.J.J. Johnson also delivers some nice solos and blends in well with Hawkins and Sulieman in the ensemble sections. The rhythm section of Oscar Pettiford, Hank Jones, Jo Jones, and Barry Galbraith maintains a steady vibe throughtout the entire album.Note that this review is based on the 1987 version of the CD. Riverside released a new remastering by the original producer, Orrin Keepnews, in 2008. I have not yet heard that new version. One reviewer indicated that it sounds fuller and more life-like than the original CD.
Full-Bodied, Rich, and Mellow - Newly re-mastered, this 2008 Keepnews Collection CD comes up sounding fuller and more life-like than the original first generation OJC disc. Often described as a comeback album for Coleman Hawkins, it features the leader s fine hand-picked lineup in a truly one-of-a kind (1957) recording. The arrangements in all 6 tracks provide pleasing sonorities among the 3 horns, and there are many tasteful solos. I find J.J Johnson s trombone work especially enjoyable. Hank Jones on piano, Oscar Pettiford on bass, Jo Jones, on drums-are you kidding me? This is easily one of the best Coleman Hawkins CDs available. No alternate takes or bonus tracks, just the original album in great sound. Like a fine wine, THE HAWK FLIES HIGH gets better with age--and repeat listens.
Hawk Was Still Flying High After All Those Years - Coleman Hawkins virtually invented the jazz tenor saxophone. It was an equally amazing feat that thirty years after he rose to stardom in Fletcher Henderson s big band, he could still make an album as consistently modern and enjoyable as The Hawk Flies High. This Riverside date from March 1957 really helped to give Hawk back his wings. He was allowed to hand pick the band for this date, and what a group he assembled -- trombonist J.J. Johnson, underrated trumpeter Idrees Sulieman, pianist Hank Jones, guitarist Barry Galbraith, bassist Oscar Pettiford and drummer Jo Jones. They swing their way through six great tunes, including the lengthy Juicy Fruit, Gigi Gryce s Blue Lights and the Hawkins original Sancticity. The success of this album jump started a second career for Hawk -- he went to cut two memorable dates for Norman Granz, The Genius of Coleman Hawkins and Coleman Hawkins Encounters Ben Webster, and a string of albums for the Prestige label and its Moodsville series. While those dates were memorable, the Hawk would never soar as high as he did on The Hawk Flies High.
Surprisingly Bland - I find this a pleasant group effort, but to my ears the music wanders, lacking the focused solid groove featured on many Coleman Hawkins recordings. Very egalitarian of him to let all the band members solo, but Hawk is silent while that goes on. Idries Sulieman blowing a single trumpet note for a full minute is not my idea of great music. I m a big fan of Coleman Hawkins, but I sold my copy of Flies. Some of my favorite Hawk: Retrospective (1929-1963) for a good overview of His early work, Coleman Hawkins Encounters Ben Webster for a compellingly romantic session, and Night Hawk for an exciting session with another protege, Eddie Lockjaw Davis.
Remastered Edition from Riverside label - Why should I blather on about the significance of this piece of art when someone who was actually involved is available. If you order one of these remastered reissues on CD, they have the original & newly added liner notes from the now 85 year old producer Orrin Keepnews, the man behind the legendary Riverside & Milestone labels...here s his own take on The Hawk Flies High (1957) from Orrin s commentary (from his new liner notes): Before [Coleman] Hawkins, the tenor saxophone-which has come to be one of the basic instruments of jazz-simply did not exist, a fact that would be disputed by neither Lester Young nor Ben Webster-his most prominent immediate successors-nor by Sonny Rollins or John Coltrane or anyone you might choose to put near the head of the line thereafter. This was not my only studio experience with Hawkins, although it was the only opportunity to deal with him strictly on his own terms, which is certainly the only appropriate way to approach a great artist.