One of the most influential saxophonists of all time was tenor man Coleman Hawkins. Although there were tenor saxophonists in jazz before Hawkins, he was the first to develop a style specific to the instrument and not just imitate clarinet technique. He was born on November 21, 1904 in St. Joseph, Missouri.

Coleman Hawkins, sometimes known by the nicknames “Hawk” or “Bean,” spent time in Chicago and Topeka, Kansas during his youth and studied music theory at Washburn College in Topeka while still attending high school. He played some piano and cello as a youngster and began his saxophone studies at the age of 9. By the time he was 15 he was playing gigs around eastern Kansas. He toured with Mamie Smith’s Jazz Hounds from 1921 until 1923 at which time he took up residence in New York City and became a member of the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra where he stayed until 1934.

Hawkins recorded with many of the most important musicians of the 1920s and 1930s such as Ben Webster, Louis Armstrong, Benny Goodman, Django Reinhardt and Benny Carter. In 1939 Coleman Hawkins made one of the most significant recordings in jazz history when he went into the studio and cut Body and Soul for the Victor label. On the record Hawkins plays two choruses but eschews the melody almost completely except for the first four measures. The rest of the record is total improvisation and has been cited by many as the first “tremors” of the bebop era. Although some called the recording an “afterthought” at the session, Hawkins had in fact been playing the tune as an encore at live performances for some time prior to cutting the record.

Hawkins led a big band briefly during the 1940s and was the leader on the record that some consider the first bebop recording. It was made on February 16, 1944 and featured Dizzy Gillespie, Oscar Pettiford and Max Roach. Hawkins also recorded with a then-unknown young pianist named Thelonious Monk. Always challenging himself by associating with young musicians, Hawkins recorded with John Coltrane in 1957 and sometimes toured with the Jazz at the Philharmonic series.

Coleman Hawkins is mentioned with regularity as an important influence by musicians to this day and his 1939 recording of Body and Soul is still studied by students in jazz programs around the world. He passed away from liver disease in 1969.

Here is a link to that legendary 1939 recording:

"BODY AND SOUL"