You are welcome, pjw. There are trends in musical styles and often a player develops a certain style that becomes the stylistic seed for a younger player to then take further. The player who contributed that seed may or may not take it further himself. This is a key characteristic of any artistic endeavor. It’s simply the way it works. In the case of Hawkins, his playing, compared to that of swing players before him was anything but “nothing compared to Bird”. Think of it as a stepping stone between classic swing and bebop. I believe that was my point.
I have a challenge for all who don’t believe in the evolutionary process that, in this case, led to bebop. Much has been written by musicians themselves and jazz historians about Coleman Hawkins’ place in all this. A simple internet search of Hawkins “Body And Soul” will yield dozens of hits. There is also much written in support of the idea re Hawkins/bebop. Produce written commentary that disputes or discredits this well established footnote in jazz history. One would think that given how much has been written in support that there would be at least a little bit in opposition.
I have a challenge for all who don’t believe in the evolutionary process that, in this case, led to bebop. Much has been written by musicians themselves and jazz historians about Coleman Hawkins’ place in all this. A simple internet search of Hawkins “Body And Soul” will yield dozens of hits. There is also much written in support of the idea re Hawkins/bebop. Produce written commentary that disputes or discredits this well established footnote in jazz history. One would think that given how much has been written in support that there would be at least a little bit in opposition.
