Coleman Hawkins – Coleman Hawkins and Confreres

Coleman Hawkins — Coleman Hawkins and Confreres

Acoustic Sounds Series reissues from Verve/Universal Music Enterprises!

Monthly releases highlighting the world’s most historic and best jazz records!

Mastered by Matthew Lutthans at The Mastering Lab from the original analog master tape

180-gram LPs pressed at Quality Record Pressings!

Stoughton Printing gatefold old-style tip-on jackets

Series supervised by Chad Kassem CEO of Acoustic Sounds

Seeking to offer definitive audiophile grade versions of some of the most historic and best jazz records ever recorded, Verve Label Group and Universal Music Enterprises’ new audiophile Acoustic Sounds vinyl reissue series utilizes the skills of top mastering engineers and the unsurpassed production craft of Quality Record Pressings. All titles are mastered from the original analog tapes, pressed on 180-gram vinyl and packaged by Stoughton Printing Co. in high-quality gatefold sleeves with tip-on jackets. The releases are supervised by Chad Kassem, CEO of Acoustic Sounds, the world’s largest source for audiophile recordings.

Ben Webster had long before passed through the ranks of imitator, then pupil and finally master. His “college attendance,” as one might put it, in the Duke Ellington Orchestra gave him a sureness of expression in his great showpieces and he also learned to hold his own against such musical giants as Paul Gonsalves and Jimmy Hamilton. “Hawk” was able to thoroughly enjoy his fame in numerous Jazz At The Philharmonic concerts given all over the world, where, of course, he had to assert himself against many other saxophone players.

Two such JATP ensembles are to be found on the Confrères LP. The relaxed atmosphere is particularly noticeable in the title “Sunday” in which Roy Eldridge comes into the limelight with a brilliant solo. And just listen to George Buvivier’s marvelous bass playing (in “Nabab!”) where he certainly has no reason to hide in the shadow thrown by Ray Brown. Coleman Hawkins’ voluminous, supple sound which had a great influence on the styles of musicians ranging from Dexter Gordon and Sonny Rollins up to Joe Lovano, is best heard after Roy’s solo in “Honey Flower.”