AMG Review of Rainbow Mist

Scott Yanow
All Music Guide

Hawkins was always an open-minded musician. A very advanced player even when he first emerged with Fletcher Henderson's orchestra in the '20s, by the '40s he may have been technically middle-aged but remained a young thinker. For his recording session of February 16, 1944, the great tenor invited some of the most promising younger players (including trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie, bassist Oscar Pettiford, and drummer Max Roach) and the result was the very first bebop on records. During their two sessions, the large ensemble recorded six selections, including Gillespie's "Woody'n You," Hawk's "Disorder at the Border," and a new treatment of "Body and Soul" by the tenorman that he retitled "Rainbow Mist." Also on this highly recommended CD are four titles matching together the tenors of Hawkins, Ben Webster, and Georgie Auld (with trumpeter Charlie Shavers included as a bonus) and a session from Auld's big band, highlighted by Sonny Berman's trumpet solo on "Taps Miller."