(1904-1969) Coleman Hawkins is widely considered to be the first tenor saxophone soloist of note. 
Originally influenced by Louis Armstrong's sharp, percussive style, Hawkins,
often referred to as "Bird," developed his own heavily articulated slap tonguing, and later
developed a more relaxed legato style prevelant on his trademark recording Body and Soul.
Hawkins was a brilliant musical thinker who was remarkably open to new developments in jazz as classical music,
reflected in both the personnel and the repertory of his groups.
He led various bands including artists like
Dizzy Gillespie, Max Roach, and Thelonious Monk. 
Battling severe alcholism, Coleman Hawkins still managed to
express powerful emotion through his instrument.
Hawkins carved out a style for the instrument that dominated
jazz for decades and himself influenced every jazz tenor player to come.
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