Coleman Randolph Hawkins (November 21, 1904 – May 19, 1969), nicknamed Hawk… Read Full Bio ↴Coleman Randolph Hawkins (November 21, 1904 – May 19, 1969), nicknamed Hawk and sometimes "Bean", was an American jazz tenor saxophonist. While Hawkins is strongly associated with the swing music and big band era, he had a role in the development of bebop in the 1940s.
Fellow saxophonist Lester Young, known as "Pres", commented in a 1959 interview with The Jazz Review: "As far as I'm concerned, I think Coleman Hawkins was the President first, right? As far as myself, I think I'm the second one." Miles Davis once said: "When I heard Hawk, I learned to play ballads."
One of the first prominent jazz musicians on his instrument, as Joachim E. Berendt explained: "there were some tenor players before him, but the instrument was not an acknowledged jazz horn".

Hawkins was born in Saint Joseph, Missouri, in 1904. Although some sources say 1901, there is no evidence to prove an earlier date; instead, there is record of Hawkins's parents' first child, a girl, being born in 1901 and dying at the age of two, possibly basis for the mistaken belief. He was named Coleman after his mother Cordelia's maiden name.
He attended high school in Chicago, then in Topeka, Kansas at Topeka High School. He later stated that he studied harmony and composition for two years at Washburn College in Topeka while still attending high school. In his youth he played piano and cello and started playing saxophone at the age of nine; by the age of fourteen he was playing around eastern Kansas.
Hawkins's first major gig was with Mamie Smith's Jazz Hounds in 1921, and he was with the band full time from April 1922 to 1923, when he settled in New York City. In the Jazz Hounds, he coincided with Garvin Bushell, Everett Robbins, Bubber Miley and Herb Flemming, among others. Hawkins joined Fletcher Henderson's Orchestra, where he remained until 1934, sometimes doubling on clarinet and bass saxophone. Hawkins's playing changed significantly during Louis Armstrong's tenure with the Henderson Orchestra (1924–25). In the late 1920s, Hawkins also participated in some of the earliest interracial recording sessions with the Mound City Blue Blowers. During his time with Henderson, he became a star soloist with an increasing amount of solos space on records. While with the band, he and Henry "Red" Allen recorded a series of small group sides for ARC (on their Perfect, Melotone, Romeo, and Oriole labels). Hawkins also recorded a number of solo recordings, with either piano or with a pick-up band of Henderson's musicians in 1933–34, just prior to his period in Europe. He was also featured on a Benny Goodman session on February 2, 1934 for Columbia, which also featured Mildred Bailey as guest vocalist.
In late 1934, Hawkins accepted an invitation to play with Jack Hylton's orchestra in London, and toured Europe as a soloist until 1939, performing and recording with Django Reinhardt and Benny Carter in Paris in 1937. Following his return to the United States, on October 11, 1939, he recorded a two-chorus performance of the pop standard "Body and Soul", which he had been performing at Bert Kelly's New York venue, Kelly's Stables. In a landmark recording of the swing era, recorded as an afterthought at the session, Hawkins ignores almost all of the melody, with only the first four bars stated in a recognizable fashion. In its exploration of harmonic structure it is considered by many to be the next evolutionary step in jazz recording after Louis Armstrong's "West End Blues" in 1928.

After an unsuccessful attempt to establish a big band, he led a combo at Kelly's Stables on Manhattan's 52nd Street with Thelonious Monk, Oscar Pettiford, Miles Davis, and Max Roach as sidemen. Hawkins always had a keen ear for new talent and styles, and he was the leader on what is generally considered to have been the first ever bebop recording session in 1944 with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach. Later he toured with Howard McGhee and recorded with J. J. Johnson and Fats Navarro. He also toured with Jazz at the Philharmonic.
After 1948 Hawkins divided his time between New York and Europe, making numerous freelance recordings. In 1948 Hawkins recorded "Picasso", an early piece for unaccompanied saxophone.
Hawkins directly influenced many bebop performers, and later in his career, recorded or performed with such adventurous musicians as Sonny Rollins, who considered him as his main influence, and John Coltrane. He appears on the Thelonious Monk with John Coltrane (Jazzland/Riverside) record. In 1960 he recorded on Max Roach's We Insist! suite.

In the 1950s, Hawkins performed with more traditional musicians such as Henry "Red" Allen and Roy Eldridge with whom he appeared at the 1957 Newport Jazz Festival and recorded Coleman Hawkins Encounters Ben Webster with fellow tenor saxophonist Ben Webster along with Oscar Peterson (piano), Herb Ellis (guitar), Ray Brown (bass), and Alvin Stoller (drums). In the 1960s, he appeared regularly at the Village Vanguard in Manhattan.
Meanwhile, Hawkins had began to drink heavily and his recording output began to wane. However, he did manage to record some notable albums, including an album for the Impulse! label with Duke Ellington. His last recording was in 1967.
With failing health, Hawkins succumbed to pneumonia in 1969 and is interred in the Yew Plot at the Woodlawn Cemetery in the Bronx.

The Song of the Hawk, a 1990 biography written by British jazz historian John Chilton, chronicles Hawkins's career as one of the most significant jazz performers of the 20th century.

Cocktails for Two
Coleman Hawkins Lyrics

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I'm discontented with homes that are rented so I have invented my own.
Darling this place is a lover's oasis where life's weary chase is unknown.
Far from the cry of the city, where flowers pretty caress the streams,
Cozy to hide in, to love side-by-side in. Don't let it abide in my dreams.

Picture you upon my knee, just tea for two and two for tea,
Just me for you and you for me, alone!
Nobody near us, to see us or hear us,

No friends or relations on weekend vacations,
We won't have it known, dear, that we have a telephone, dear.
Day will break and you'll awake and start to bake
A sugar cake for me to take for all the boys to see.
We will raise a family, a boy for you, a girl for me,
Oh, can't you see how happy life would be?

You are revealing a plan so appealing I can't help but falling for you,
Darling, I planned it
Can't you understand it is yours to command it, so do.
All of your schemes I'm admiring, they're worth desiring but can't you see,
I'd like to wait there for some future date dear
It won't be too late, dear, for me.

Picture you upon my knee, just tea for two and two for tea,
Just me for you and you for me, alone!
Nobody near us, to see us or hear us,
No friends or relations on weekend vacations,
We won't have it known, dear, that we have a telephone, dear.
Day will break and you'll awake and start to bake
A sugar cake for me to take for all the boys to see.

We will raise a family, a boy for you, a girl for me,
Oh, can't you see how happy life would be?

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of "Cocktail For Two" by Coleman Hawkins and Roy Eldridge express the desire for a secluded home where the couple can enjoy each other's company without any disturbance from the outside world. The singer is unhappy with living in rented homes and has decided to create his own haven. The setting is described as a "lover's oasis" where the hustle and bustle of city life are absent, and the couple is surrounded by picturesque flowers and streams.

The singer paints a picture of a peaceful and serene environment where they can share each other's company over tea for two. The couple wishes to keep their escapades a secret from the outside world, so they choose a place away from friends and family. Moreover, they don't even want anyone to know they have a telephone. They have a romantic vision of raising a family with a boy for her and a girl for him. The lyrics communicate a desire for privacy, romantic intimacy, and family values.

In summary, the lyrics convey the dream of owning a private and romantic haven where couples can enjoy each other's company, away from the prying eyes of society, and raise a happy family.

Line by Line Meaning

I'm discontented with homes that are rented so I have invented my own.
I am unhappy with living in rented homes so I have decided to create my own.

Darling this place is a lover's oasis where life's weary chase is unknown.
This place is a perfect hideaway for lovers where they can forget their tiring life.

Far from the cry of the city, where flowers pretty caress the streams,
This place is far away from the noisy city where beautiful flowers are found along with streams.

Cozy to hide in, to love side-by-side in. Don't let it abide in my dreams.
It's a cozy place where we can enjoy each other's company. I don't want it to just be a dream.

Picture you upon my knee, just tea for two and two for tea,
Imagine you sitting on my lap, just having tea together.

Just me for you and you for me, alone!
It's just you and me, no one else around.

Nobody near us, to see us or hear us,
There is nobody around to see or hear us.

No friends or relations on weekend vacations,
We don't need to entertain any friends or family on weekend vacations.

We won't have it known, dear, that we have a telephone, dear.
We won't let anyone know that we have a phone in our private hideaway.

Day will break and you'll awake and start to bake a sugar cake for me to take for all the boys to see.
When the day begins, you'll wake up and bake a cake for me to show off to everyone.

We will raise a family, a boy for you, a girl for me,
We will have children, a boy for you and a girl for me.

Oh, can't you see how happy life would be?
Life would be so happy and fulfilling.

You are revealing a plan so appealing I can't help but falling for you,
Your plan is so fascinating that I am falling for you.

Darling, I planned it
My dear, I already have the perfect plan.

Can't you understand it is yours to command it, so do.
You can take control of this plan, just do it.

All of your schemes I'm admiring, they're worth desiring but can't you see,
I respect all of your ideas, but can't you see,

I'd like to wait there for some future date dear
I would like to wait for a future date my dear.

It won't be too late, dear, for me.
It won't be too late for me to enjoy your scheme.

Lyrics © Budde Music Publishing GmbH, BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Capitol CMG Publishing, Downtown Music Publishing, Songtrust Ave, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Irving Caesar, Vincent Youmans

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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