Body and Soul: The Complete Victor Recordings 1939-1956 Master Takes (2006)

Vijf-sterren-'album pick' op Allmusic. "Hawkins was the first important tenor saxophonist and he remains one of the greatest of all time. A consistently modern improviser whose knowledge of chords and harmonies was encyclopedic, he had a 40-year prime (1925-1965). In 1939, although Lester Young emerged with a totally new style on tenor, Hawkins showed that he was still a dominant force. That year, "Body and Soul" became his most famous recording. Some of his finest recordings were cut during the first half of the 1940s. Although already a veteran, Hawkins encouraged younger bop-oriented musicians and did not need to adjust his style in order to play with them. In 1948 he recorded the first unaccompanied saxophone solo, "Picasso." By the early '50s, the Lester Young-influenced sound had become a much greater influence on young tenors than Hawkins' style. However, by the mid-'50s he was experiencing a renaissance. The up-and-coming Sonny Rollins considered Hawkins his main influence." (Scott Yanow, Allmusic)

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