Coleman Hawkins

Swing music, Musical Artist

1904 – 1969

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Who was Coleman Hawkins?

Coleman Randolph Hawkins, nicknamed Hawk and sometimes "Bean", was an American jazz tenor saxophonist. One of the first prominent jazz musicians on his instrument, as Joachim E. Berendt explained: "there were some tenor players before him, but the instrument was not an acknowledged jazz horn". While Hawkins is strongly associated with the swing music and big band era, he had a role in the development of bebop in the 1940s.

Fellow saxophonist Lester Young, known as "Pres", commented in a 1959 interview with The Jazz Review: "As far as I'm concerned, I think Coleman Hawkins was the President first, right? As far as myself, I think I'm the second one." Miles Davis once said: "When I heard Hawk, I learned to play ballads."

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Born
Nov 21, 1904
St. Joseph
Also known as
  • Coleman Randolph Hawkins
  • Coleman Hawkings
  • C . Hawkins
  • Hawkins, Coleman
  • Hawk
  • Bean
Parents
Spouses
Ethnicity
  • African American
Nationality
  • United States of America
Profession
Education
  • Washburn University
  • Topeka High School
Lived in
  • Topeka
Died
May 19, 1969
New York City
Resting place
Woodlawn Cemetery

Submitted
on July 23, 2013

Citation

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