Coleman Hawkins, Roy Eldridge, Pete Brown, Jo Jones All-Star

AMG Review of Coleman Hawkins, Roy Eldridge, Pete Brown, Jo Jones All-Star

Scott Yanow
All Music Guide

In 1957 Hawkins underwent a critical renaissance. Fellow musicians and writers alike finally realized that his style (whether currently in fashion or not) was timeless and that the veteran tenor could still blow most of his competitors away. He teamed up with trumpeter Roy Eldridge and altoist Pete Brown for what would be a highly successful set at the Newport Jazz Festival. Their first number ("I Can't Believe That You're in Love with Me") was so explosive it made the rest of the performance (a ballad medley and "Sweet Georgia Brown") anticlimatic. Actually, Brown is just okay on "I Can't Believe" but the long solos of Eldridge and Hawkins are among the most exciting of their career, making this LP well worth searching for.