APRIL 2

               COLEMAN HAWKINS 

             Hawk in Germany

                 Recording Date:
                     April 2, 1960

                 Personnel:
                     Coleman Hawkins  TS
                     Bud Powell             P
                     Oscar Pettiford      B
                     Kenny Clarke          D

                LINK RETIRED






Review
Although Hawk gets top billing on this lp, he only appears on half of the program. And so it is when you have successfully made the transition from big band to bop. This session features four ex-pats, all incredible in their own right. And sadly for 3 of them, recording would end shortly. Hawk and Powell were far from their peak, but somehow this recording of old friends seems to generate a spark. Pettiford would have passed within 6 mos., Powell within 3 years, which is also when Hawkins quit recording and just took to the bottle. He hung on for another 3 years. Only Klook managed to survive the ravages of fame, quietly passing at 81. But so much for back story, the lp is classic Black Lion production. Lots of standards, with the Powell Trio taking the mostly upbeat tracks with Bean joining for the second half, mostly ballads. I often wonder if this has not been released as the Essen Concert.