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Steve Coleman

Steve began playing music just days before his 14th birthday as a freshman at South Shore High School on the south side of Chicago. His first instrument was violin but later that year he switched to the alto saxophone. For three years Steve studied the basics of music and saxophone technique, then he decided that he wanted to learn how to improvise. Looking for the best improvising musicians to listen to is what brought Steve to the music of Charlie Parker, although it helped that his father listened to Parker all the time. After spending two years at Illinois Wesleyan University Steve transferred to Roosevelt University (Chicago Music College) in downtown Chicago in order to concentrate on Chicago's musical nightlife. Specifically Coleman had been introduced to the improvisations of Chicago premier saxophonists Von Freeman, Bunky Green, Gido Sinclair, Sonny Greer and others and he wanted to hang out and learn from these veterans. By the time he left Chicago in May 1978, he was holding down a decent gig leading a band at the New Apartment Lounge, writing music, playing Parker classics, and getting increasingly dissatisfied with what he felt was a creative dead end in the Chicago scene.

After hearing groups from New York led by masters like Max Roach, Art Blakey, Woody Shaw, The Thad Jones-Mel Lewis Orchestra, Sonny Rollins, etc. come through Chicago with bands that featured great players with advanced musical conceptions, Steve knew where he wanted to go next. He felt he needed to be around this kind of atmosphere in order to grow musically.

Hitchhiking to New York and staying at a YMCA in Manhattan for a few months, he scuffled until he picked up a gig with the Thad Jones-Mel Lewis Big Band, which led to stints with the Sam Rivers Big Band, Cecil Taylor's Big Band and others. Soon he begun cutting records as a sideman with those leaders as well as pivotal figures like David Murray, Doug Hammond, Dave Holland, Mike Brecker and Abbey Lincoln. However it was really the influence of Von Freeman and Bunky Green in Chicago, Thad Jones, Sam Rivers, Doug Hammond in New York and listening to recordings of past improvising masters and music from West Africa that got Coleman turned around musically. . The most important influences on his music at this time was listening to tenor saxophonist Von Freeman (who primarily influenced Coleman as an improviser), saxophonist Sam Rivers (who influenced Steve compositionally) and drummer/composer Doug Hammond (who was especially important in Steve's conceptual thinking).

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In Pictures

Steve Coleman Five Elements Sala degli Arazzi-Piacenza Jazz Festival 2024

Read "Steve Coleman Five Elements Sala degli Arazzi-Piacenza Jazz Festival 2024" reviewed by Danilo Codazzi


A collection of photos from the Steve Coleman Five Elements concert at Piacenza Jazz Festival 2024 in Piacenza on March 2, 2024 featuring Steve Coleman, Jonathan Finlayson, Rich Brown and Sean Rickman. ...

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Radio & Podcasts

A Hip-Hop Jazz Thing @50 - Part 1

Read "A Hip-Hop Jazz Thing @50 - Part 1" reviewed by Ludovico Granvassu


Hip-Hop's birthday has been officially identified as August 11, 1973 and many initiatives marking its fiftieth anniversary are already under way. Should you catch yourself wondering--as a jazz fan--about how jazz and hip hop influenced one other... you may find a few clues on this program. And since you're in a celebratory mood, you can also celebrate the airing 250th episode of Mondo Jazz. Happy listening! Playlist Ben Allison “Mondo Jazz Theme (feat. Ted Nash & ...

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Live Review

Jazzkaar 2023

Read "Jazzkaar 2023" reviewed by Martin Longley


Jazzkaar Tallinn, Estonia April 23-30, 2023 Jazzkaar has now lost two days, this exceptional Estonian festival running at eight rather than ten, but still remaining epic when compared to most others. The opening Sunday might have only featured a single concert, but as the fresh week progressed, the scale incrementally increased, hitting four shows by Wednesday, and six by the weekend. Tallinn, this wondrous UNESCO City Of Music provides a highly evocative surround for the 34th ...

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Radio & Podcasts

Festival Season: From Newport to the North Sea

Read "Festival Season: From Newport to the North Sea" reviewed by David Brown


This week, a survey of recordings from jazz festivals past and present: Newport Jazz Festival in Rhode Island, Montreux Jazz Festival & Jazz Festival Willisau in Switzerland, Montreal International Jazz Festival, Essen Jazz Festival in West Germany, Festival of Improvised Music in France, East-West Festival in Nuremberg Germany, and the North Sea Jazz Festival in the Netherlands.Playlist Thelonious Monk “Esistrophy (Theme)" from Live at the It Club-Complete (Columbia) 00:30 Thelonious Monk, The Duke Ellington Orchestra “Monk's Dream" from ...

Album Review

Steve Coleman and Five Elements: Live at the Village Vanguard Volume II (MDW NTR)

Read "Live at the Village Vanguard Volume II (MDW NTR)" reviewed by Vincenzo Roggero


Circa un anno dopo i due set incendiari confluiti nel meraviglioso Live at Village Vanguard Vol. I (PI Recordings, 2018), Steve Coleman e i suoi fidi Five Elements ritornano sul luogo del delitto e danno vita ad un doppio set, se possibile, ancora più entusiasmante. L'ennesimo aggiustamento di formazione, al chitarrista Miles Okazaki succede il fuoriclasse dello freestyle Kokayi, fornisce un ulteriore impulso alla musica di Coleman, dove la voce e le metriche del rapper sembrano andare a nozze con ...

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Radio & Podcasts

New Live And Studio Records Plus Classic Mingus

Read "New Live And Studio Records Plus Classic Mingus" reviewed by Bob Osborne


On this week's show we present new live albums from Steve Coleman and Enrico Rava. There are also new studio based releases from Adán Mizrahi, Byron Asher & Brad Webb, Brian Molloy Quartet, John Zorn, and Bruce Forman, John Clayton & Jeff Hamilton. We also dip into the archive for some classic Charles Mingus.Playlist Steve Coleman “Memes To Midas" from Live at the Village Vanguard Volume II (MDW NTR) (Pi Recordings) 00:00 Enrico Rava “Infant" from Edizione Speciale ...

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Radio & Podcasts

Steve Coleman, Artifacts, Wadada Leo Smith & Weiss/Okazaki

Read "Steve Coleman, Artifacts, Wadada Leo Smith & Weiss/Okazaki" reviewed by Maurice Hogue


M-Base in the house when Steve Coleman and Five Elements recorded Volume 2 of their live performances from the Village Vanguard. It's the feature recording in this episode, but it's got company from the very excellent ...and Then There's This by Artifacts (Nicole Mitchell, Tomeka Reid & Mike Reed). This is a superb album. So is Wadada Leo Smith's A Love Sonnet For Billie Holiday Also sampled this week for the first time, music from drummers Mike Pride, Billy Mohler, ...

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Birthday

Jazz Musician of the Day: Steve Coleman

Jazz Musician of the Day: Steve Coleman

Source: Michael Ricci

All About Jazz is celebrating Steve Coleman's birthday today!

Steve began playing music just days before his 14th birthday as a freshman at South Shore High School on the south side of Chicago. His first instrument was violin but later that year he switched to the alto saxophone. For three years Steve studied the basics of music and saxophone technique, then he decided that he wanted to learn how to improvise. Looking for the best improvising musicians to listen to ...

Birthday

Jazz Musician of the Day: Steve Coleman

Jazz Musician of the Day: Steve Coleman

Source: Michael Ricci

All About Jazz is celebrating Steve Coleman's birthday today!

Steve began playing music just days before his 14th birthday as a freshman at South Shore High School on the south side of Chicago. His first instrument was violin but later that year he switched to the alto saxophone. For three years Steve studied the basics of music and saxophone technique, then he decided that he wanted to learn how to improvise. Looking for the best improvising musicians to listen to ...

1

Birthday

Jazz Musician of the Day: Steve Coleman

Jazz Musician of the Day: Steve Coleman

Source: Michael Ricci

All About Jazz is celebrating Steve Coleman's birthday today!

Steve began playing music just days before his 14th birthday as a freshman at South Shore High School on the south side of Chicago. His first instrument was violin but later that year he switched to the alto saxophone. For three years Steve studied the basics of music and saxophone technique, then he decided that he wanted to learn how to improvise... Read more.

Place our Musician of the Day widget ...

Birthday

Jazz Musician of the Day: Steve Coleman

Jazz Musician of the Day: Steve Coleman

Source: Michael Ricci

All About Jazz is celebrating Steve Coleman's birthday today!

Steve began playing music just days before his 14th birthday as a freshman at South Shore High School on the south side of Chicago. His first instrument was violin but later that year he switched to the alto saxophone. For three years Steve studied the basics of music and saxophone technique, then he decided that he wanted to learn how to improvise... Read more.

Place our Musician of the Day widget ...

1

Birthday

Jazz Musician of the Day: Steve Coleman

Jazz Musician of the Day: Steve Coleman

Source: Michael Ricci

All About Jazz is celebrating Steve Coleman's birthday today!

Steve began playing music just days before his 14th birthday as a freshman at South Shore High School on the south side of Chicago. His first instrument was violin but later that year he switched to the alto saxophone. For three years Steve studied the basics of music and saxophone technique, then he decided that he wanted to learn how to improvise... Read more.

Place our Musician of the Day widget ...

1

Birthday

Jazz Musician of the Day: Steve Coleman

Jazz Musician of the Day: Steve Coleman

Source: Michael Ricci

All About Jazz is celebrating Steve Coleman's birthday today!

Steve began playing music just days before his 14th birthday as a freshman at South Shore High School on the south side of Chicago. His first instrument was violin but later that year he switched to the alto saxophone. For three years Steve studied the basics of music and saxophone technique, then he decided that he wanted to learn how to improvise... Read more.

Place our Musician of the Day widget ...

1

Education

Music Education Monday: Workshops with saxophonist Steve Coleman

Music Education Monday: Workshops with saxophonist Steve Coleman

Source: St. Louis Jazz Notes by Dean Minderman

Though he doesn't categorize his music as “jazz," Steve Coleman has been a significant player on the contemporary improvised music scene since the 1980s as a saxophonist, composer, bandleader, and educator. A 2014 recipient of a MacArthur Fellowship (aka “the genius grant"), Coleman (pictured) is a 59-year-old Chicago native who's been called “one of the most rigorously conceptual thinkers in improvised music" by the New York Times. He's noted particularly as one of the originators and chief promulgator of M-BASE, ...

1

Birthday

Jazz Musician of the Day: Steve Coleman

Jazz Musician of the Day: Steve Coleman

Source: Michael Ricci

All About Jazz is celebrating Steve Coleman's birthday today! Steve began playing music just days before his 14th birthday as a freshman at South Shore High School on the south side of Chicago. His first instrument was violin but later that year he switched to the alto saxophone. For three years Steve studied the basics of music and saxophone technique, then he decided that he wanted to learn how to improvise... Read more. Place our Musician of the Day widget ...

1

Birthday

Jazz Musician of the Day: Steve Coleman

Jazz Musician of the Day: Steve Coleman

Source: Michael Ricci

All About Jazz is celebrating Steve Coleman's birthday today! Steve began playing music just days before his 14th birthday as a freshman at South Shore High School on the south side of Chicago. His first instrument was violin but later that year he switched to the alto saxophone. For three years Steve studied the basics of music and saxophone technique, then he decided that he wanted to learn how to improvise... Read more. Place our Musician of the Day widget ...

Birthday

Jazz Musician of the Day: Steve Coleman

Jazz Musician of the Day: Steve Coleman

Source: Michael Ricci

All About Jazz is celebrating Steve Coleman's birthday today!

Steve began playing music just days before his 14th birthday as a freshman at South Shore High School on the south side of Chicago. His first instrument was violin but later that year he switched to the alto saxophone. For three years Steve studied the basics of music and saxophone technique, then he decided that he wanted to learn how to improvise... Read more.

Place our Musician of the Day widget ...

Evan Tate
saxophone, alto
Donna Lee Sax4
saxophone
Richard Oppenheim
saxophone, alto
Stéphane Mercier
saxophone, alto
Dmitry Tsepilov
saxophone, alto
Nicola Fazzini
saxophone, alto
Oguz Buyukberber
clarinet, bass
Mirco Ballabene
bass, acoustic
Funk Elastic
band / ensemble / orchestra
Claudio Cardito Carditology
band / ensemble / orchestra

Photos

Music

Recordings: As Leader | As Sideperson

Live at the Village...

Pi Recordings
2022

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Live at the Village...

Pi Recordings
2018

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Live at Village...

Pi Recordings
2018

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Morphogenesis

Pi Recordings
2017

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Synovial Joints

Pi Recordings
2015

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Functional Arrhythmias

Pi Recordings
2013

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Jan 18

From: The Mancy of Sound
By Steve Coleman

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