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.
How High the Moon
Coleman Hawkins Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
How faint the tune
Somewhere there's heaven
How high the moon
There is no moon above
When love is far away too
Till it comes true
That you love me as I love you
Somewhere there's music
How near, how far
Somewhere there's heaven
It's where you are
The darkest night would shine
If you would come to me soon
Until you will, how still my heart
How high the moon
Somewhere there's music
How faint the tune
Somewhere there's heaven
How high the moon
The darkest night would shine
If you would come to me soon
Until you will, how still my heart
How high the moon
The lyrics of "How High the Moon" by Coleman Hawkins begin with an enchanting image of music being present everywhere, albeit extremely faint. This sets a wistful tone to the song, which is further emphasized with the following line that describes heaven being infinitely far away. However, like a sliver of hope, Hawkins asserts that love can make a difference. Even in the absence of the moon in the sky, the prospect of reciprocal affection can bring it as close as possible. The lyrics are romantic and poetic in nature, comparing the powerful emotions of love and the ability to overcome solitude to the limitless potential of the universe.
As the song progresses, Hawkins becomes more and more audacious in his beliefs. The second stanza states that there is nothing that can keep him from the presence of heaven, as long as he is with his beloved. The dark night seen as a curse by many is turned into a blessing, as its presence makes a lover valorize the arrival of the significant other. The final lines express, once again, the depth of Hawkins' longing for his love's presence, highlighting the stillness of his heart until his beloved's return.
Overall, "How High the Moon" is a heartwarming and uplifting song that speaks to the power of love and the potential of the universe. Through it, Coleman Hawkins expresses his desires and longings and the sentiment is as timely and powerful today as it was when the song was first written.
Line by Line Meaning
Somewhere there's music
Music exists somewhere beyond our immediate earshot
How faint the tune
Even though the music is there, we may not be able to hear it clearly
Somewhere there's heaven
There is a utopian realm beyond our reach
How high the moon
This idyllic realm is elevated and beyond the earthly plane
There is no moon above
Without love, there is a sense of emptiness or lack
When love is far away too
The absence of love creates a sense of distance or longing
Till it comes true
The longing for love persists until it is actualized
That you love me as I love you
The ideal love is mutual and reciprocated
How near, how far
The location of this utopian realm is uncertain and ambiguous
It's where you are
Heaven or paradise is wherever the loved one is
The darkest night would shine
The presence of love can cast light into even the deepest darkness
If you would come to me soon
The arrival of the loved one would bring illumination and joy
Until you will, how still my heart
Without the presence of love, the heart is still and silent
How high the moon
The ideal state of love is elevated and ethereal
Somewhere there's music
Hope persists for the existence of beauty and harmony in the world
How faint the tune
Even though life is uncertain and fragile, the possibility of transcendence remains
Somewhere there's heaven
Despite the chaos and suffering of the world, there is always the hope of an ideal realm
How high the moon
This hope is elevated and beyond the limitations of everyday life
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Morgan Lewis, Nancy Hamilton
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Philip Richman
Notice how Hawks solo always builds gradually and then decisively takes over the performance and makes it all about his indomitable rhythm and phrasing.
c m b
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