That
Coleman Hawkins jumped on the jazz/bossa nova bandwagon craze initiated by
Stan Getz in 1962 was a bit of a surprise to his fans, but that he was comfortable in the idiom should not be off-putting. Able to adapt to any style over his lengthy career, the legendary tenor saxophonist chose classic standards adapted to Brazilian rhythms, music from masters like
Antonio Carlos Jobim and
João Gilberto, and a
Manny Albam original. Producer
Bob Thiele and music director
Albam were strong in their resolve directing
Hawkins to do this project, and the results are fairly predictable, especially considering that every single track is played in midtempo. The difference is the deployment of two guitarists in
Barry Galbraith (lead) and
Howard Collins (rhythm) split into separate stereo channels, with bassist
Major Holley and no full kit drummer, although
Eddie Locke with a minimal and stripped-down setup,
Willie Rodriguez, and even
Tommy Flanagan play small Latin percussion instruments. Themes derived from nights in Rio such as the beautifully rendered title track and "One Note Samba" are quite typical, but "O Pato" (The Duck) has a component added on from
Duke Ellington's "Take the 'A' Train," while the
Hawkins original "Stumpy" is adapted into "Stumpy Bossa Nova," derived from
Dizzy Gillespie's "Groovin' High" with a taste of "The Man I Love" tacked on at the end.
Albam's "Samba Para Bean" is standardized cool with
Locke's accents via brushes on closed hi-hat cymbals, while "I Remember You" is a completely unforced, pretty rendition of this well-worn standard.
Gilberto's tribute to
Luiz Bonfá, "Um Abraco No Bonfa," sports a guitar lead by
Galbraith in a stretched-out frame. The curve ball is a somewhat weird crossbred samba take of "I'm Looking Over a Four Leaf Clover," a truly corny song the band tried to make cool, only marginally succeeding. The simplified style of this album overall perfectly suited the amiable, good-natured, and laid-back
Hawkins at a time when the world was somewhat in political turmoil regarding Caribbean nations and the role of South America in the emerging so-called Third World. He passed away seven years later, leaving a legacy as the most revered tenor saxophonist in jazz, and this very nice recording in his long discography, unique even unto itself. ~ Michael G. Nastos