---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A young tenor player was complaining to…"
description: "\"A young tenor player was complaining to me that Coleman Hawkins made him nervous. Man, I told him Hawkins was supposed to make him nervous! Hawkins has..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e8a/cannonball-adderley-56287_complaining_a-young-tenor-player-was-complaining-to_2526638.png"
---

#  A young tenor player was complaining to me that Coleman…

![“A young tenor player was complaining to me that Coleman Hawkins made him nervous. Man, I told him Hawkins was supposed to make him nervous! Hawkins has been making other sax players nervous for forty years!” quote by Cannonball Adderley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e8a/cannonball-adderley-56287_complaining_a-young-tenor-player-was-complaining-to_2526638.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e8a/cannonball-adderley-56287_complaining_a-young-tenor-player-was-complaining-to_2526638.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e8a/cannonball-adderley-56287_complaining_a-young-tenor-player-was-complaining-to_2526638.png)

> “A young tenor player was complaining to me that Coleman Hawkins made him nervous. Man, I told him Hawkins was supposed to make him nervous! Hawkins has been making other sax players nervous for forty years!”

[Cannonball Adderley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cannonball-adderley/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Coleman Hawkins’ reputation for unsettling saxophonists is longstanding and intentional.

**In simple terms:** Hawkins intentionally unsettles sax players.

Key Takeaway

Respect artistic influence and tradition.

Themes

music legacy influence performance

Mood

reflective historical

Type

musical cultural

When to use this quote

- musical education
- performance preparation
- historical study

Key Concepts

jazz history musical intimidation artist reputation

Questions to Reflect On

- How does intimidation affect artistic growth?
- What role does tradition play in jazz?

A Different Perspective

Intimidation can stifle creativity.

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[Jazz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jazz/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Music](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/music/) [Nervous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nervous/) [Tenors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tenors/)

## Related quotes

> [Chano Pozo created the role of the conga soloist in the modern band, somewhat th way Coleman Hawkins created the solo tenor sax.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ned-sublette/chano-pozo-created-the-role-of-the-conga-soloist-in-the-modern-band/)

[Ned Sublette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ned-sublette/)

> [As much as I think John Coltrane belongs on the list, I think without Coleman Hawkins and Lester Young, both of whom defined improvising…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbie-mann/as-much-as-i-think-john-coltrane-belongs-on-the-list-i-think-without/)

[Herbie Mann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbie-mann/)

> [“Listen to this, Nimit. Follow Coleman Hawkins' improvised lines very carefully. He is using them to tell us something. Pay very close attention. He…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/listen-to-this-nimit-follow-coleman-hawkins-improvised-lines-very/)

[Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/)

> [When I began listening to saxophones, I was first attracted to Coleman Hawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerry-mulligan/when-i-began-listening-to-saxophones-i-was-first-attracted-to-coleman/)

[Gerry Mulligan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerry-mulligan/)

> [When I heard Coleman Hawkins, I learned to play ballads](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miles-davis/when-i-heard-coleman-hawkins-i-learned-to-play-ballads/)

[Miles Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miles-davis/)

> [I appreciate men like Ben Webster and Coleman Hawkins very much.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stan-getz/i-appreciate-men-like-ben-webster-and-coleman-hawkins-very-much/)

[Stan Getz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stan-getz/)

> [I don't believe that a lot of the things I hear on the air today are going to be played for as long a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-peterson/i-don-t-believe-that-a-lot-of-the-things-i-hear-on-the-air-today-are/)

[Oscar Peterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-peterson/)

> [An easy way to make me nervous is to interact with me at all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/an-easy-way-to-make-me-nervous-is-to-interact-with-me-at-all/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [If we date you're gonna make me nervous when I see you at my games.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-we-date-you-re-gonna-make-me-nervous-when-i-see-you-at-my-games/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [You make me nervous^\_^](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cutelilangel/you-make-me-nervous/)

[CuteLilAngel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cutelilangel/)

> [“You little subs make me nervous. Being around you is too much like walking into a room filled with tiny kittens and trying not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cherise-sinclair/you-little-subs-make-me-nervous-being-around-you-is-too-much-like/)

[Cherise Sinclair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cherise-sinclair/)

> [Birthday parties make me nervous as hell. They're one of those things where you're forced to be happy. And even if you're totally depressed,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-m-homes/birthday-parties-make-me-nervous-as-hell-they-re-one-of-those-things/)

[A.M. Homes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-m-homes/)

> [don't make each room a different color in a small apartment or you'll make yourself nervous.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elsie-de-wolfe/don-t-make-each-room-a-different-color-in-a-small-apartment-or-you-ll/)

[Elsie de Wolfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elsie-de-wolfe/)

> [Generals who can write always make me nervous.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-bradlee/generals-who-can-write-always-make-me-nervous/)

[Ben Bradlee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-bradlee/)

> [You know people exaggerate that all is wild in Jamaica. I think that sometimes people fire a shot to try to make you nervous.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-manley/you-know-people-exaggerate-that-all-is-wild-in-jamaica-i-think-that/)

Michael Manley

## More by Cannonball Adderley

> [I keep reverting (to Duke Ellington), he to me is the greatest ever and my favorite jazz philosopher, as such.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cannonball-adderley/i-keep-reverting-to-duke-ellington-he-to-me-is-the-greatest-ever-and/)

[Cannonball Adderley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cannonball-adderley/)

> [There's no future without the past and anybody who doesn't really understand where jazz has come from has no right to try to direct…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cannonball-adderley/there-s-no-future-without-the-past-and-anybody-who-doesn-t-really/)

[Cannonball Adderley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cannonball-adderley/)

> [Understanding is the least important thing when it comes to digging jazzbecause, like anything else, jazz is a form of entertainment. It is created…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cannonball-adderley/understanding-is-the-least-important-thing-when-it-comes-to-digging/)

[Cannonball Adderley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cannonball-adderley/)

> [You don't decide you're hip. It just happens that way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cannonball-adderley/you-don-t-decide-you-re-hip-it-just-happens-that-way/)

[Cannonball Adderley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cannonball-adderley/)

> [Hipness is not a state of mind, It's a fact of life!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cannonball-adderley/hipness-is-not-a-state-of-mind-it-s-a-fact-of-life/)

[Cannonball Adderley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cannonball-adderley/)

[Explore all 6 Cannonball Adderley quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cannonball-adderley/)

## More Complaining quotes

> [And you can't complain about kissing Emma Watson. Isn't that what everyone in the world wants to do? I've known Emma for a few…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eddie-redmayne/and-you-can-t-complain-about-kissing-emma-watson-isn-t-that-what/)

[Eddie Redmayne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eddie-redmayne/)

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[Naheed Nenshi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naheed-nenshi/)

Browse all 1,994 Complaining quotes

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