Product details
- Label Verve Records
- Artist Coleman Hawkins
- Series Vital Vinyl
- Format 1LP
- Country United States
- Released Date 2019
- Genre Jazz
- Sealed Yes
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Coleman Hawkins Encounters Ben Webster by Coleman Hawkins.
When two of the greatest tenor saxophonists in jazz history sit down in the same room, the results can go one of two ways. They can compete, elbowing for space and trading blows until one gives way. Or they can listen, breathe together, and let their differences become the very texture of the music. On this Hollywood session from October 16th, 1957, Coleman Hawkins and Ben Webster chose the second path, and the record that resulted is a masterclass in generosity between titans.
Hawkins, the man who essentially invented the tenor saxophone as a solo voice, brings his towering, muscular authority to every phrase. Webster, warm and breathy, famous for the intimate rasp of his ballad playing, meets him not as a rival but as a kindred spirit. The two horns are instantly distinguishable, yet they braid together with an ease that suggests years of mutual admiration finally given a room to unfold.
The program opens with "Blues For Yolande," a loose, conversational blues that lets both men stretch out and establish the tone of the whole affair. From there the mood turns tender with "It Never Entered My Mind," where the ballad tradition that both players helped define comes gloriously to the surface. "Rosita" closes the first side with a change of pace, a reminder that these two could swing lightly as well as dig deep.
Turn the record over and the pleasures keep coming. "You'd Be So Nice To Come Home To" arrives with an inviting lilt, followed by the aching devotion of "Prisoner Of Love," a song that seems custom built for the kind of romantic weight both saxophonists could summon at will. "Tangerine" brings a brighter, more buoyant energy, and the set signs off with the beloved "Shine On Harvest Moon," a warm and unhurried farewell that leaves you wanting to drop the needle all over again.
What makes this session endure is the interplay. Listen to how one horn steps back precisely when the other steps forward, how a phrase left hanging by Hawkins is answered and completed by Webster. This is not a cutting contest; it is a dialogue between two men who had nothing left to prove and everything to enjoy.
For collectors and listeners alike, this is essential mid century tenor jazz, a document of two masters at the height of their powers, relaxed, generous, and endlessly rewarding. It is the kind of record that reveals something new with every play, and it belongs in any serious collection.
Pressing Details:
This Session was recorded in Hollywood, October 16th 1957.
Track Listing:
A1. Blues For Yolande
A2. It Never Entered My Mind
A3. Rosita
B1. You'd Be So Nice To Come Home To
B2. Prisoner Of Love
B3. Tangerine
B4. Shine On Harvest Moon
Artist: Coleman Hawkins
Supporting Artists: Ben Webster
Format: 1LP
Genre: Jazz
Label: Verve Records
Catalog Number: MG VS - 6066
Series: Vital Vinyl
Release Year: 2019
Country: United States
Condition: Sealed (New)
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