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Sonny Meets Hawk

Here's another x meets y album. In this case, I believe that Hawkins outplays Rollins, partly because Rollins in playing in an especially avant-garde style in order to distinguish himself, be more modern than his colleague. He plays a lot in the altissimo register and emulates Eric Dolphy. This allows Hawkins to occupy the center with great confidence and aplomb: all he has to do is be Coleman Hawkins--an impossible task for anyone who is not Coleman Hawkins, but a very easy task for him.

Not my favorite Rollins album, but one of my favorites by "Bean."

On this album there are other tracks which have Rollins with a completely different group, and playing a more mainstream style--without Hawkins at all.