A note on what "Body and Soul" actually is
The famous "Body and Soul" isn't an album at all in its original form – it's a single 78rpm side, recorded October 11, 1939 at RCA's studios in New York and issued on Bluebird. The resulting two-chorus improvisation, which barely touches the tune's original melody at all, is widely regarded as one of the most important recordings in the history of jazz saxophone – the Library of Congress inducted it into the National Recording Registry in 2004.
"The album" that collector shorthand refers to as Body and Soul is something different: a compilation, first assembled decades later, drawing on Hawkins recording sessions spanning 1939 to 1956. The first vinyl LP packaging of this material was RCA Victor LPV-501, part of RCA's "Vintage Series" reissue line, subtitled A Jazz Autobiography. Crucially, this is not the only compilation to carry the Body and Soul title – Wikipedia specifically notes that because the 1939 recording is held in such high regard, multiple different compilations across different decades and labels (an earlier Topaz Jazz Records/Pearl CD, a 1996 RCA CD produced by John Snyder, and a Proper Records box set) have all used a similar or identical title with overlapping but not identical track selections. If you're chasing a specific vinyl "Body and Soul" LP, confirm exactly which track program and pressing you're getting rather than assuming any release with this title contains the same material.
Recording history and tape provenance
Recording supervisor Leonard Joy relayed the fan's request, and Hawkins cut it in a single take. Hawkins's radical break from melodic paraphrase toward pure harmonic improvisation directly influenced generations of saxophonists after him, including John Coltrane by his own account. The 1939 session itself featured Hawkins on tenor sax with Tommy Lindsay and Joe Guy on trumpets, Earl Hardy on trombone, Jackie Fields and Eustis Moore on alto saxophones, Gene Rodgers on piano, Oscar Smith on bass, and Arthur Herbert on drums, recorded at RCA's studio on East 24th Street in Manhattan. Hawkins had spent the preceding six years working in Europe before returning to the US ahead of the outbreak of war; "Body and Soul" was cut just as he was reestablishing himself on the New York scene, opening at Kelly's Stable. The original 78rpm pressing (Bluebird B-10523, paired with "Fine Dinner" on the B-side) was pressed at multiple RCA plants, including a documented Indianapolis pressing with distinguishing label-ring characteristics.
RCA's LPV-501 compilation, and the various later reissues sharing the Body and Soul title, extend well beyond the 1939 session to include material recorded January 1940, December 1947, and multiple sessions in January 1956 (including a later re-recording of "Body and Soul" itself, giving listeners a direct 17-years-apart comparison of Hawkins revisiting his own signature piece).
Buyer's guide by budget
Given that this title's very identity is spread across a single historic 78rpm side and multiple non-identical compilation albums released decades apart, this guide isn't presenting confident dollar-sign price tiers the way most guides on this site do. If you specifically want the historic 1939 performance itself, any reissue compilation containing it will do; if you want the complete "Jazz Autobiography" concept spanning Hawkins's career from 1939 to 1956, confirm you're getting RCA Victor LPV-501 or a reissue with an equivalent, clearly documented track list rather than a differently-curated compilation sharing the same title.
Pressing tier summary
| Tier ⇅ | Pressing | Cat# | Year ⇅ | Format | Source / Mastering | Notes | Market ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | RCA Victor "Vintage Series" LP | LPV-501 | 1961 | Mono, 33⅓ | RCA lacquer | First vinyl LP compilation under this title; subtitled "A Jazz Autobiography" | – |
References
- Wikipedia, "Body and Soul (Coleman Hawkins album)": https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Body_and_Soul_(Coleman_Hawkins_album)
- Library of Congress, National Recording Registry essay on "Body and Soul" (1939): https://www.loc.gov/static/programs/national-recording-preservation-board/documents/BodyAndSoul.pdf
- Discography of American Historical Recordings, "RCA Victor LPV-501": https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/index.php/objects/refer/70664