[Dixielandjazz] Chords v. Melody

[Edgerton, Paul A]

Steve Barbone asks DJMLers if the Classic Coleman Hawkins solo on "Body and
Soul" is chordal or melodic...

Being thick-skinned, fearless and highly opinionated (not to mention right)
I'll be happy to take a stab at answering this. 

It's a candy mint...

Just listen to him running those changes, substitutions and all. Read a
transcription sometime, lots of neat arpeggios and scales. Hawk did his
homework for sure.

It's a breath mint...

Listen to the highest and lowest notes of each phrase. Think about his lines
at the metric level of the half note and you'll find a lovely melodic
approach the equal of Louis Armstrong. He was one sweet player.

It's two mints in one!

That's right, a very lyrical melodic sense, overlaid by a sophisticated
harmonic approach and sure technique. That's why everybody was afraid of him
for so many years. He could swing, sing, and hang with the beboppers too.

Add to this the fact that he brought the tenor saxophone out of the realm of
slap-tonguing and made it the ne plus ultra of jazz. Gee, I'm starting to
sound like Beebe talking about Louis here.

Paul Edgerton, who says take *that* you banjo snobs!