You could have heard a pin drop after that remark, but the Hawk ignored it, turning to the piano player and saying, “Play me a few choruses of -.” I've forgotten the name of the tune, but I do recall that the tempo Hawk set was almost unbelievable, it was so fast and he had the tune all to himself.

Then he sauntered to the bar, had a big drink, and waited to see how the cats would follow this avalanche of virtuosity. For some reason, nobody felt like blowing at the moment. So Coleman picked up where he had left off, this time with a ballad, in which he proceeded to demonstrate the various ways the tune could be embellished, finishing up with an incredible cadenza, to thundering applause.