One of the rarer
Coleman Hawkins sessions has been reissued on this Drive Archive CD. The veteran tenor was somewhat overlooked during the era (prior to a major "comeback" in 1957) but he always played at a consistently high level. On four of the eight selections,
Hawk is showcased in a quintet with
Joe "Earl" Knight (mostly on piano but also playing some early organ), rhythm guitarist Sidney Gross, bassist
Wendell Marshall and drummer
Osie Johnson. The remaining four numbers add trumpeter
Ernie Royal and trombonist
Eddie Bert.
Hawkins is in prime form, particularly on "Blue Room," "Running Wild," "The Breeze and I" and "My Own Blues." Although the songs are actually programmed in a slightly different order than is listed, this reissue is worth picking up.