Coleman Hawkins - The Hawk Flies High (1957)

Coleman Hawkins' 1957 session for Riverside, aside from an oral documentary record in a short-lived series, was his only recording for the label under his name. Yet producer Orrin Keepnews had the good sense to invite the legendary tenor saxophonist to pick his own musicians, and Hawkins surprised him by asking for young boppers J.J. Johnson and Idrees Sulieman in addition to the potent rhythm section of Hank Jones, Oscar Pettiford, Barry Galbraith, and Jo Jones. The two days of sessions produced a number of strong performances, with Hawkins still very much at the top of his game, while both Johnson and Sulieman catch fire as well. Even though most of the focus was on new material contributed by the participants, the musicians quickly adapted to the unfamiliar music, especially the leader's old-fashioned swinger "Sancticity" (which sounds like it could have been part of Count Basie's repertoire) and the pianist's tightly woven bop vehicle "Chant." Hawkins was one of the great ballad interpreters, and his majestic performance of the standard "Laura" is no exception. The 2008 reissue in the Keepnews Collection series uncovered no previously unissued material, though expanded liner notes by the producer and improved 24-bit remastering make this edition an improvement over earlier versions.

By Ken Dryden in All Music Guide

Styles:
Mainstream Jazz

Tracks
01 - Chant (05:08)
02 - Juicy Fruit (11:20)
03 - Think Deep (03:27)
04 - Laura (04:36)
05 - Blue Lights (05:47)
06 - Sancticity (09:12)

Line-up:
Coleman Hawkins - tenor sax
Idrees Sulieman - trumpet
JJ Johnson - trombone
Hank Jones - piano
Barry Galbraith - guitar
Oscar Pettiford - bass
Jo Jones - drums.

Horace Silver - The Cape Verdean Blues (1965)

After the success of Song for My Father and its hit title cut, Horace Silver was moved to pay further tribute to his dad, not to mention connect with some of his roots. Silver's father was born in the island nation of Cape Verde (near West Africa) before emigrating to the United States, and that's the inspiration behind The Cape Verdean Blues. Not all of the tracks are directly influenced by the music of Cape Verde (though some do incorporate Silver's taste for light exoticism); however, there's a spirit of adventure that pervades the entire album, a sense of exploration that wouldn't have been quite the same with Silver's quintet of old. On average, the tracks are longer than usual, and the lineup -- featuring tenor saxophonist Joe Henderson (a holdover from the Song for My Father sessions) and trumpeter Woody Shaw -- is one of the most modernist-leaning Silver ever recorded with. They push Silver into more advanced territory than he was normally accustomed to working, with mild dissonances and (especially in Henderson's case) a rawer edge to the playing. What's more, bop trombone legend J.J. Johnson appears on half of the six tracks, and Silver sounds excited to finally work with a collaborator he'd been pursuing for some time. Johnson ably handles some of the album's most challenging material, like the moody, swelling "Bonita" and the complex, up-tempo rhythms of "Nutville." Most interesting, though, is the lilting title track, which conjures the flavor of the islands with a blend of Latin-tinged rhythms and calypso melodies that nonetheless don't sound quite Caribbean in origin. Also noteworthy are "The African Queen," with its blend of emotional power and drifting hints of freedom, and "Pretty Eyes," Silver's first original waltz. Yet another worthwhile Silver album.

by Steve Huey in All Music Guide

Styles:
Hard-Bop
Soul Jazz

Tracks:
01 - The Cape Verdean Blues (04:59)
02 - The African Queen (09:36)
03 - Pretty Eyes (07:30)
04 - Nutville (07:15)
05 - Bonita (08:37)
06 - Mo' Joe (05:47)

Line-up:
Horace Silver - piano
Woody Shaw - trumpet
Joe Henderson - tenor sax
J. J. Johnson - trombone
Bob Cranshaw - bass
Roger Humphries -drums