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.
Then I'll Be Tired Of You
Coleman Hawkins Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Darling your eyes are asking, "Will the flame burn out?"
Well, no one is sure of sun shine, no one is sure of dawn,
But I am sure my love will live on and on.
I'll be tired of you when stars are tired of gleaming
When I am tired of dreaming, then I'll be tired of you.
This I know is true, when winds are tired of blowing,
When grass is tired of growing, then I'll be tired of you.
Beyond the years,
'Til day is night, 'til wrong is right,
'Til birds refuse to sing,
Beyond the years, the echo of my only love
Will still be whispering, whispering.
And if my throbbing heart should ever start repeating
That it is tired of beating, then I'll be tired of you.
The lyrics of "Then I'll Be Tired Of You" by Coleman Hawkins portrays a deep and committed love that is set to last through the test of time. The opening lines evoke a sense of uncertainty in the singer's lover, who is asking whether their love will last. The singer's response is confident that their love will last and endure even amidst the unpredictability of life.
The second stanza strengthens this message by stating how unwavering and constant their love will be. The singer uses the analogy of natural elements that are enduring, such as stars and grass, to signify the permanence of their love. The final stanza takes an unexpected and poignant turn, with the singer suggesting that their love will persist even beyond their own lifespan. The idea of the singer's love continuing to echo in the air, long after they are gone, is a powerful declaration of the depth of their love.
Overall, "Then I'll Be Tired Of You" is a romantic love song that expresses a timeless and unconditional love. It suggests that even amidst the tumultuous nature of life, love can be a constant, an anchor that the lover can always count on.
Line by Line Meaning
You look at me and wonder, you look at me and doubt,
You seem to be questioning whether our love will last, my dear.
Darling your eyes are asking, "Will the flame burn out?"
Your beautiful eyes are expressing concerns about the future of our love, my sweet.
Well, no one is sure of sun shine, no one is sure of dawn,
Nobody can predict the future, just as nobody can predict when the sun will rise each day.
But I am sure my love will live on and on.
However, I am absolutely certain that my love for you will endure.
I'll be tired of you when stars are tired of gleaming
My love for you will only diminish when the stars in the sky stop shining.
When I am tired of dreaming, then I'll be tired of you.
Only when I no longer have the capacity to dream about my love for you will my passion fade.
This I know is true, when winds are tired of blowing,
I am absolutely certain that the only time my love will falter is when the winds stop blowing.
When grass is tired of growing, then I'll be tired of you.
It will take a time when nature itself fails to continue to sustain life for me to ever lose my love for you.
Beyond the years,
Even when years have gone by,
'Til day is night, 'til wrong is right,
Until the world is turned upside down and things that are wrong seem right,
'Til birds refuse to sing,
Until the birds no longer bless us with their beautiful songs,
Beyond the years, the echo of my only love
In the distant future, I know the memory of my love for you will continue to echo on.
Will still be whispering, whispering.
My love for you will still be present, even if only as a whisper in the corners of time.
And if my throbbing heart should ever start repeating
Even if my heart eventually grows tired,
That it is tired of beating, then I'll be tired of you.
I know in my heart of hearts that such weariness could never be blamed on you and would be no reflection of my love for you.
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc., CARLIN AMERICA INC, SHAPIRO BERNSTEIN & CO. INC.
Written by: ARTHUR SCHWARTZ, E. Y. HARBURG
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
waldir albieri
Uma melodia maravilhosa em interpretação singela e genial...
Geraldine Krawitz
has there ever been a more beautiful song more beautifully played
Giovanna Magliaretta
Preciosa versión de Coleman Hawkins y Tommy Flanagan increíble.
DonnaD123
You look at me and wonder, you look at me and doubt,
Darling your eyes are asking, "Will the flame burn out?"
Well, no one is sure of sun shine, no one is sure of dawn,
But I am sure my love will live on and on.
I'll be tired of you when stars are tired of gleaming
When I am tired of dreaming, then I'll be tired of you.
This I know is true, when winds are tired of blowing,
When grass is tired of growing, then I'll be tired of you.
Beyond the years,
'Til day is night, 'til wrong is right,
'Til birds refuse to sing,
Beyond the years, the echo of my only love
Will still be whispering, whispering.
And if my throbbing heart should ever start repeating
That it is tired of beating, then I'll be tired of you.
Becky Davis
This is just wonderful 👏🏻👏🏾
Charly Lennon
Pura genialidad al oido
David Hall
the "Hawk" seduces simply by showing up with a sound like no other - to know this is so - simply....listen.....(to this)