Coleman Hawkins: Wrapped Tight (Verve Acoustic Sounds) (180g) (LP)

As early as the 1920s, Coleman Hawkins had established himself in the New York jazz scene as one of the first great improvisers on the tenor saxophone. Until his health rapidly deteriorated in 1966, he consistently kept pace with the evolution of jazz. During his final creative phase between 1960 and 1965, he appeared on Max Roach’s classic album *We Insist!* and, alongside Sonny Rollins, on their collaborative album *Sonny Meets Hawk!*. In addition, during those years he recorded four albums for the then-trendsetting label Impulse! Records. The last of these four albums, “Wrapped Tight,” released in 1965, was also the final album released by Coleman Hawkins as a bandleader during his lifetime. Here, with a sextet, he performs a wide-ranging repertoire that includes not only classic and contemporary jazz standards and an old film score—"She’s Fit"—but also a Hawkins original. Verve Acoustic Sounds Series: mastered entirely analog by Ryan K. Smith at Sterling Sound from the original tapes, QPR pressing (180 g), sturdy tip-on gatefold sleeve (Stoughton Printing), padded inner sleeve.