1959 · Album
Body and Soul
Recorded 1939–1956 · Prestige · Produced by Unconfirmed — detail omitted
Seventeen Years, One Song, Everything Changed
The 1939 'Body and Soul' is three minutes that rewired what jazz saxophone could be.
The whole reason this album exists is that one recording. On October 11, 1939, Coleman Hawkins walked into a New York studio and cut 'Body and Soul' in a single take — or close to it — and almost immediately it became the most talked-about tenor saxophone performance anyone had heard. What makes it so striking, even now, is how little of the original melody he actually plays. He barely nods at the tune and then just improvises, almost entirely on the chord changes, for two choruses. In 1939, that was genuinely unusual. It pointed toward bebop before bebop had a name. It sold well, which surprised everyone, because it was harmonically advanced stuff for a mainstream audience.
The album collects that 1939 session alongside recordings made through 1956, including a second version of the title track cut seventeen years later. Comparing the two 'Body and Soul' performances is genuinely interesting — not because one is better, but because you can hear how Hawkins had changed and how much he hadn't. The later version is looser, a little more relaxed, and he's working with different rhythm section support. He never stopped being himself, which is either consistency or stubbornness depending on how you look at it.
The surrounding tracks flesh out a portrait of Hawkins across a fairly long stretch of his career. He was a big-toned, harmonically sophisticated player who came up in the swing era but never got stranded there. If you're new to him, the 1939 'Body and Soul' is the place to start — it's genuinely one of those recordings where you can understand immediately why people made such a fuss. The rest of the album is solid, interesting context rather than a parade of equal highlights.
Who's playing
William Oscar Smithdouble bass
Johnny Williamsdouble bass
Gene Rodgerspiano
Lawrence Lucieguitar
Jackie Fieldsalto saxophone
Coleman Hawkinstenor saxophone
Eustis Moorealto saxophone
Joe Guytrumpet
Tommy Lindsaytrumpet
Benny Cartertrumpet
Earl Hardytrombone
J.C. Higginbothamtrombone
Arthur Herbertdrums
Walter Johnsondrums
Danny Poloclarinet
