Coleman Hawkins

Coleman Randolph Hawkins was an American jazz tenor saxophonist. Hawkins was 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”. While Hawkins is most strongly associated with the swing music and big band era, he had a role in the development of bebop in the 1940s. #

2 Quotes

  • If you don’t make mistakes, you aren’t really trying.

  • Some people say there was no jazz tenor before me. All I know is I just had a way of playing and I didn’t think in terms of any other instrument but the tenor. I honestly couldn’t characterize my style in words. It seems like whatever comes to me naturally is what I play.

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