Coleman Hawkins
American jazz saxophonist (1904–1969)
Biography
Coleman Randolph Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri on November 21, 1904, and died on May 19, 1969. A tenor saxophonist and jazz musician, he was among the first to establish the saxophone as a jazz instrument, developing an improvisational method suited to the saxophone itself rather than adapting clarinet techniques. His approach to improvisation, marked by arpeggiated passages and a rich, vibrato-laden tone, shaped the playing of numerous tenor saxophonists including Chu Berry, Ben Webster, and Illinois Jacquet, and influenced later performers in the instrument's development through the swing and bebop eras.
Occupation
Coleman Hawkins is recorded as a saxophonist, a jazz musician, a musician and a composer, born in Missouri (1904–1969).
Connections to Missouri
Coleman Hawkins was born in St. Joseph, Missouri in 1904. Explore other notable figures from Missouri, historic sites connected to this era, and the full colonial and statehood history of the state using the links below.
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Frequently asked about Coleman Hawkins
Biographical content adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. Source: Wikipedia.
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