Review by Choice Review
There has been some debate about when and where the saxophone became accepted in jazz instrumentation, but there is no question that it was Coleman Hawkins who gave the tenor saxophone its jazz voice in the early 1920s. English jazz writer John Chilton, who has already written about Sidney Bechet (CH, Sep'88) and, with Max Jones, about Louis Armstrong (Louie, CH, Jul'72), here follows Hawkins from his birth in St. Louis in 1904 to his death in New York, 1969, detailing all of his professional accomplishments. (So much emphasis is given to discussing and analyzing recording sessions that it begins to detract from the biography itself, yet there is no discography.) Hawkins, the most imitated and influential saxophonist in jazz up to Charlie Parker's modern revolution, stood virtually alone among jazz musicians who came to prominence in the 1920s and successfully made the transition to modern jazz 25 years later. He also set a standard of dignity for black musicians that was rarely equalled. Chilton does discuss some of the darker aspects of Hawkins's life and personality, however, so that the book avoids becoming merely a tribute to a great artist. As with his other jazz biographies, Chilton has brought a great deal of important information together but has not managed to provide the kind of insight and perspective that would truly distinguish his work. Nevertheless, this is an important and valuable addition to the jazz library and its extensive chapter notes will prove very useful. -C. M. Weisenberg, University of California, Los Angeles
Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.
Review by Choice Review
