Coleman Hawkins: Birth Of The Jazz Saxophone
Taught by Christopher Bussmann
Christopher Bussmann is a Brooklyn based librarian by day and a jazz cultural historian, writer, educator, and former broadcaster by night. Christopher runs Bop And Beyond, a jazz blog dedicated to the bebop and hard bop sounds of the mid-twentieth century. His former radio show aired for over ten years in Rochester, Montreal, and Brooklyn. You can visit his site at bopandbeyond.wordpress.com and on twitter at @bopandbeyond.
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."
Prior to Coleman Hawkins, the tenor saxophone was seen as just an ensemble instrument and not really appropriate for jazz improvisation. Now ubiquitous, the tenor sax's long struggle to gain acceptance as a feature instrument changed utterly in the hands of one man: Coleman Hawkins. Though not the first to solo on tenor, "Bean" was the dominant figure in changing the jazz public's perception of the instrument. Over the course of a fifty year career, Hawkins innovated jazz tenor playing and helped usher in a craze for the instrument that crested with the later work John Coltrane and Sonny Rollins. Not content to rest on his laurels, "Hawk" soared over the shifting jazz landscape of the twentieth century, lending his virtuoso skill to big band, swing, bop, and blues.
This class will investigate the genius of Hawkins' music over the course of his entire career. We will listen to his music and celebrate his legacy. No prior musical knowledge or experience is necessary!
