George Edward Coleman (born March 8, 1935) is an American jazz saxophonist known for his work with

Miles Davis Miles Dewey Davis III (May 26, 1926September 28, 1991) was an American trumpeter, bandleader, and composer. He is among the most influential and acclaimed figures in the history of jazz and 20th-century music. Davis adopted a variety of musi ...

and

Herbie Hancock Herbert Jeffrey Hancock (born April 12, 1940) is an American jazz pianist, keyboardist, bandleader, and composer. Hancock started his career with trumpeter Donald Byrd's group. He shortly thereafter joined the Miles Davis Quintet, where he hel ...

in the 1960s. In 2015, he was named an NEA Jazz Master.

Early life

Coleman was born in

Memphis, Tennessee Memphis is a city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the County seat, seat of Shelby County, Tennessee, Shelby County in the southwest part of the state; it is situated along the Mississippi River. With a population of 633,104 at the 2020 Uni ...

. He was taught how to play the alto saxophone in his teens by his older brother Lucian Adams, inspired (like many jazz musicians of his generation) by

Charlie Parker Charles Parker Jr. (August 29, 1920 – March 12, 1955), nicknamed "Bird" or "Yardbird", was an American jazz saxophonist, band leader and composer. Parker was a highly influential soloist and leading figure in the development of bebop, a form ...

. Among his schoolmates were Harold Mabern, Booker Little, Frank Strozier, Hank Crawford, and Charles Lloyd.

Later life and career

After working with

Ray Charles Ray Charles Robinson Sr. (September 23, 1930 – June 10, 2004) was an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. He is regarded as one of the most iconic and influential singers in history, and was often referred to by contemporaries as "The Ge ...

, Coleman started working with B.B. King in 1953, at which point he switched to

tenor saxophone The tenor saxophone is a medium-sized member of the saxophone family, a group of instruments invented by Adolphe Sax in the 1840s. The tenor and the alto are the two most commonly used saxophones. The tenor is pitched in the key of B (while ...

. In 1956 Coleman moved to

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = List of sovereign states, Count ...

, along with Booker Little, where he worked with

Gene Ammons Eugene "Jug" Ammons (April 14, 1925 – August 6, 1974), also known as "The Boss", was an American jazz tenor saxophonist. The son of boogie-woogie pianist Albert Ammons, Gene Ammons is remembered for his accessible music, steeped in soul and ...

and Johnny Griffin before joining

Max Roach Maxwell Lemuel Roach (January 10, 1924 – August 16, 2007) was an American jazz drummer and composer. A pioneer of bebop, he worked in many other styles of music, and is generally considered one of the most important drummers in history. He wo ...

's quintet (1958–1959). Coleman recorded with organist Jimmy Smith on his album '' House Party'' (1957), along with Lee Morgan,

Curtis Fuller Curtis DuBois Fuller (December 15, 1932May 8, 2021) was an American jazz Trombone, trombonist. He was a member of Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers and contributed to many classic jazz recordings. Early life Fuller was born in Detroit on December ...

, Kenny Burrell, and Donald Bailey. Moving to

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the U ...

with Max Roach in that year, he went on to play with Slide Hampton (1959–1962), Ron Carter, Jimmy Cobb, and Wild Bill Davis (1962), before joining Miles Davis' quintet in 1963–1964. His albums with Davis (and the rhythm section of

(piano), Ron Carter (bass), and Tony Williams (drums)) are '' Seven Steps to Heaven'' (1963), ''A Rare Home Town Appearance'' (1963), ''Côte Blues'' (1963), '' In Europe'' (1963), '' My Funny Valentine'', and '' Four & More'', both live recordings of a concert in

Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts (also simply known as Lincoln Center) is a complex of buildings in the Lincoln Square neighborhood on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. It has thirty indoor and outdoor facilities and is host to 5 millio ...

in February 1964. Shortly after this concert, Coleman was replaced by

Wayne Shorter Wayne Shorter (born August 25, 1933) is an American jazz saxophonist and composer. Shorter came to prominence in the late 1950s as a member of, and eventually primary composer for, Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers. In the 1960s, he joined Miles Dav ...

. Nevertheless, Davis retained a high opinion of Coleman's playing, stating that "George played everything almost perfectly...He was a hell of a musician." Coleman played with

Lionel Hampton Lionel Leo Hampton (April 20, 1908 – August 31, 2002) was an American jazz vibraphonist, pianist, percussionist, and bandleader. Hampton worked with jazz musicians from Teddy Wilson, Benny Goodman, and Buddy Rich, to Charlie Parker, Charle ...

(1965–1966), also in 1965 on

Chet Baker Chesney Henry "Chet" Baker Jr. (December 23, 1929 – May 13, 1988) was an American jazz trumpeter and vocalist. He is known for major innovations in cool jazz that led him to be nicknamed the "Prince of Cool". Baker earned much attention and ...

's ''The Prestige Sessions'', with Kirk Lightsey, Herman Wright, and Roy Brooks. Clark Terry,

Horace Silver Horace Ward Martin Tavares Silver (September 2, 1928 – June 18, 2014) was an American jazz pianist, composer, and arranger, particularly in the hard bop style that he helped pioneer in the 1950s. After playing tenor saxophone and piano at sc ...

, Elvin Jones (1968), Shirley Scott (1972),

Cedar Walton Cedar Anthony Walton Jr. (January 17, 1934 – August 19, 2013) was an American hard bop jazz pianist. He came to prominence as a member of drummer Art Blakey's band, The Jazz Messengers, before establishing a long career as a bandleader and ...

(1975),

Charles Mingus Charles Mingus Jr. (April 22, 1922 – January 5, 1979) was an American jazz upright bassist, pianist, composer, bandleader, and author. A major proponent of collective improvisation, he is considered to be one of the greatest jazz musicians an ...

(1977–1978), Ahmad Jamal (1994, 2000), and many others. Coleman also appeared in the science-fiction film '' Freejack'' (1992), starring Emilio Estevez, Mick Jagger, and Anthony Hopkins; and 1996's '' The Preacher's Wife'', with Denzel Washington and

Whitney Houston Whitney Elizabeth Houston (August 9, 1963 – February 11, 2012) was an American singer and actress. Nicknamed "Honorific nicknames in popular music, The Voice", she is Whitney Houston albums discography, one of the bestselling music artists ...

. Coleman recorded into the 2000s. His CD as co-leader, ''Four Generations of Miles: A Live Tribute To Miles'', with bassist Ron Carter, drummer Jimmy Cobb and guitarist Mike Stern was released on Chesky Records in October 2002, and it concentrates on the 1960s working repertoire of Miles Davis. Tracks include: " There Is No Greater Love", " All Blues", " On Green Dolphin Street", " Blue in Green", "81", " Freddie Freeloader", " My Funny Valentine", "If I Were a Bell", and " Oleo". He was featured on Joey DeFrancesco's 2006 release ''Organic Vibes'', along with vibraphonist Bobby Hutcherson, Billboard's Top Jazz Album Chart, peaked to No. 17. Coleman was married to jazz organist Gloria Coleman. They had two children, including jazz drummer George Coleman Jr., and divorced. He was named an NEA Jazz Master and to the Memphis Music Hall of Fame in 2015, and received a brass note on the Beale Street Brass Notes Walk of Fame.

Discography

As leader/co-leader

As sideman

With

*''

Smokin' with the Chet Baker Quintet ''Smokin' with the Chet Baker Quintet'' is an album by trumpeter Chet Baker which was recorded in 1965 and released on the Prestige label.Prestige, 1965) *''

Groovin' with the Chet Baker Quintet ''Groovin' with the Chet Baker Quintet'' is an album by trumpeter Chet Baker which was recorded in 1965 and released on the Prestige label.Comin' On with the Chet Baker Quintet'' (Prestige, 1965) *'' Cool Burnin' with the Chet Baker Quintet'' (Prestige, 1965) *'' Boppin' with the Chet Baker Quintet'' (Prestige, 1965) With

Roy Brooks Roy Brooks (March 9, 1938 – November 15, 2005) was an American Jazz drumming, jazz drummer. Biography Early life Brooks was born in Detroit and drummed since childhood, his earliest experiences of music coming through his mother, who sang in c ...

*'' The Free Slave'' ive(

Muse In ancient Greek religion and mythology, the Muses ( grc, Μοῦσαι, Moûsai, el, Μούσες, Múses) are the inspirational goddesses of literature, science, and the arts. They were considered the source of the knowledge embodied in the ...

, 1970 el. 1972 With Paul (PB) Brown *''Paul Brown Quartet Meets The Three Tenors'' (Brownstone, 1998) With

Brian Charette Brian Charette (born November 24, 1972) is a jazz pianist, Hammond organist, and electronic music producer. He took 1st place in the 2014 " Downbeat Magazine Critic's Poll Rising Star: Organ" category and "Fan's Decision Jazz Award for Best Org ...

*''Groovin' with Big G'' ( Steeplechase, 2018) – with Vic Juris, George Coleman Jr. With

*'' Seven Steps to Heaven'' (

Columbia Columbia may refer to: * Columbia (personification), the historical female national personification of the United States, and a poetic name for America Places North America Natural features * Columbia Plateau, a geologic and geographic region in ...

, 1963) *''

Miles Davis in Europe ''Miles Davis in Europe'' is a live album by Miles Davis, released in 1964. It was the first full album by the first incarnation of the "Miles Davis Quintet#Second Great Quintet .281964.E2.80.9368.29, Second Quintet" featuring George Coleman, Herb ...

'' ive(Columbia, 1963) *''

Live at the 1963 Monterey Jazz Festival ''Live at the 1963 Monterey Jazz Festival'' is a live album by Miles Davis released on July 31, 2007, and recorded in September 20, 1963. Davis searched for new musicians for his quintet, after splitting with saxophonist John Coltrane in 1960. ...

'' ive(Monterey Jazz Festival Records, 2007) *'' My Funny Valentine'' ive(Columbia, 1964) *'' Four & More'' ive(Columbia, 1964 el. 1966 With Joey DeFrancesco *''Organic Vibes'' ( Concord, 2005) With Charles Earland *''

Soul Crib ''Soul Crib'' is an album by organist Charlie Earland which was recorded in 1969 and released on the Choice label. Most of the tracks were reissued on Muse Records in 1977 with three tracks on '' Smokin and three on ''Mama Roots''.

'' (Choice, 1969) *'' Smokin''' (Muse, 1969/1977

el. 1977 EL, El or el may refer to: Religion * El (deity), a Semitic word for "God" People * EL (rapper) (born 1983), stage name of Elorm Adablah, a Ghanaian rapper and sound engineer * El DeBarge, music artist * El Franco Lee (1949–2016), American ...

*''

Mama Roots ''Mama Roots'' is an album by organist Charlie Earland which was recorded in 1969 and 1977 and released on the Muse label.el. 1977 EL, El or el may refer to: Religion * El (deity), a Semitic word for "God" People * EL (rapper) (born 1983), stage name of Elorm Adablah, a Ghanaian rapper and sound engineer * El DeBarge, music artist * El Franco Lee (1949–2016), American ...

With Red Garland *''

So Long Blues ''So Long Blues'' is an album by pianist Red Garland which was recorded in 1979 and released on the Galaxy label in 1984.el. 1981 *'' Strike Up the Band'' (Galaxy, 1979 el. 1981 With Slide Hampton *''

Slide Hampton and His Horn of Plenty ''Slide Hampton and His Horn of Plenty'' (titled ''Slide!'' on the back cover) is the debut album by American jazz trombonist, composer and arranger Slide Hampton which was released on the Strand label in 1961.Callahan, M., Watts, R. and David Edwa ...

'' (Strand, 1959) *''

Sister Salvation ''Sister Salvation'' is an album by American jazz trombonist, composer and arranger Slide Hampton which was released on the Atlantic label in 1960.

'' (

Atlantic The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the "Old World" of Africa, Europe an ...

, 1960) * '' Somethin' Sanctified'' (Atlantic, 1961) * '' Jazz with a Twist'' (Atlantic, 1962) *'' Drum Suite'' (Epic, 1962) *''

Exodus Exodus or the Exodus may refer to: Religion * Book of Exodus, second book of the Hebrew Torah and the Christian Bible * The Exodus, the biblical story of the migration of the ancient Israelites from Egypt into Canaan Historical events * Exo ...

'' (Philips, 1962 el. 1964 With

* '' Maiden Voyage'' ( Blue Note, 1965) With Johnny Hartman * '' Today'' (

Perception Perception () is the organization, identification, and interpretation of sensory information in order to represent and understand the presented information or environment. All perception involves signals that go through the nervous system, ...

, 1972) With Ahmad Jamal *'' The Essence Part One'' (Birdology/Verve, 1995) * ''Ahmad Jamal à l'Olympia'' ive( Dreyfus, 2000) With Elvin Jones *'' Live at the Village Vanguard'' (

Enja Enja Records is a German jazz record company and label based in Munich which was founded by jazz enthusiasts Matthias Winckelmann and Horst Weber in 1971. The label's first release was by Mal Waldron, and early releases included European and ...

, 1968) * '' Poly-Currents'' (Blue Note, 1969) * '' Coalition'' (Blue Note, 1970) *'' Time Capsule'' (

Vanguard The vanguard (also called the advance guard) is the leading part of an advancing military formation. It has a number of functions, including seeking out the enemy and securing ground in advance of the main force. History The vanguard derives f ...

, 1977) With Booker Little *''

Booker Little 4 and Max Roach ''Booker Little 4 and Max Roach'' (also released as ''The Defiant Ones'') is an album by American jazz trumpeter Booker Little featuring performances recorded in 1958 (and 1959 on the CD reissue) for the United Artists label.United Artists United Artists Corporation (UA), currently doing business as United Artists Digital Studios, is an American digital production company. Founded in 1919 by D. W. Griffith, Charlie Chaplin, Mary Pickford, and Douglas Fairbanks, the stu ...

1957) *'' Booker Little and Friend'' (

Bethlehem Bethlehem (; ar, بيت لحم ; he, בֵּית לֶחֶם '' '') is a city in the central West Bank, Palestine, about south of Jerusalem. Its population is approximately 25,000,Amara, 1999p. 18.Brynen, 2000p. 202. and it is the capital ...

, 1961) With Harold Mabern *'' A Few Miles from Memphis'' (Prestige, 1968) *'' Rakin' and Scrapin''' (Prestige, 1968) *'' Workin' & Wailin''' (Prestige, 1969) With Jack McDuff *'' A Change Is Gonna Come'' (Atlantic, 1966) With

* '' Three or Four Shades of Blues'' (Atlantic, 1977) With Lee Morgan * '' City Lights'' (Blue Note, 1957) * ''

Sonic Boom A sonic boom is a sound associated with shock waves created when an object travels through the air faster than the speed of sound. Sonic booms generate enormous amounts of sound energy, sounding similar to an explosion or a thunderclap to t ...

'' (Blue Note, 1966) With

Idris Muhammad Idris Muhammad ( ar, إدريس محمد; born Leo Morris; November 13, 1939 – July 29, 2014) was an American jazz drummer and bandleader. He had an extensive career performing jazz, funk, R&B, and soul music and recorded with musicians suc ...

*'' Kabsha'' (Theresa, 1980) With Don Patterson *'' Oh Happy Day'' (Prestige, 1969) – reissued on CD as ''Dem New York Dues'' *'' Tune Up!'' (Prestige, 1969) With John Patton *''

Memphis to New York Spirit ''Memphis to New York Spirit'' is an album by American organist John Patton recorded in 1969 and 1970 but not released on the Blue Note label until 1996.

'' (Blue Note, 1969) With Nicholas Payton * ''Smoke Sessions'' (Smoke Sessions Records, 2021) With Duke Pearson * '' Honeybuns'' (Atlantic, 1965) * '' Prairie Dog'' (Atlantic, 1966) With

*'' The Max Roach 4 Plays Charlie Parker'' ( Emarcy, 1958) * ''

Max Roach + 4 on the Chicago Scene ''Max Roach + 4 on the Chicago Scene'' is an album by the American jazz drummer Max Roach featuring tracks recorded in Chicago in 1958 and released on the EmArcy label in mono; alternate versions of four tracks were released in Japan on a 1984 ste ...

'' (Emarcy, 1958) * ''

Max Roach + 4 at Newport Max or MAX may refer to: Animals * Max (dog) (1983–2013), at one time purported to be the world's oldest living dog * Max (English Springer Spaniel), the first pet dog to win the PDSA Order of Merit (animal equivalent of OBE) * Max (gorilla) (1 ...

'' (Emarcy, 1958) *''

Deeds, Not Words ''Deeds, Not Words'' is an album by American jazz drummer Max Roach featuring tracks recorded in 1958 and released on the Riverside label.Riverside, 1958) * '' Award-Winning Drummer'' (

Time Time is the continued sequence of existence and events that occurs in an apparently irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequence events, t ...

, 1958) * '' The Many Sides of Max'' (Mercury, 1959) With Shirley Scott *'' Lean on Me'' (

Cadet A cadet is an officer trainee or candidate. The term is frequently used to refer to those training to become an officer in the military, often a person who is a junior trainee. Its meaning may vary between countries which can include youths in ...

, 1972) With Jimmy Smith * '' House Party'' (Blue Note, 1957–58) *'' The Sermon!'' (Blue Note, 1958) With Louis Smith *'' Just Friends'' ( Steeplechase, 1982) With Melvin Sparks *'' Akilah!'' (Prestige, 1972) With Charles Tolliver *'' Impact'' (

Strata-East Strata-East Records is an American record company and label specialising in jazz founded in 1971 by Charles Tolliver and Stanley Cowell with the release of their first recording ''Music Inc.'' The label released over 50 albums in the 1970s. Many ...

, 1975) With Roseanna Vitro *'' Reaching for the Moon'' (Chase Music Group, 1991) *'' Softly'' (Concord, 1993) With Mal Waldron *'' Sweet Love, Bitter'' (

Impulse! Impulse! Records (occasionally styled as "¡mpulse! Records" and "¡!") is an American jazz record company and label established by Creed Taylor in 1960. John Coltrane was among Impulse!'s earliest signings. Thanks to consistent sales and positiv ...

, 1967) With

*'' Eastern Rebellion'' (

Timeless Timeless (or atemporal) or timelessness (or atemporality) may refer to: * Agelessness, the condition of being unaffected by the passage of time * Akal (Sikh term), timelessness in Sikhism * Eternity, timeless existence or infinite duration * Immo ...

, 1975) – with Sam Jones, Billy Higgins With

Reuben Wilson Reuben Wilson (born April 9, 1935) is a jazz organist. He performs soul jazz and acid jazz, and is best known for his title track "Got to Get Your Own". He was born in Mounds, Oklahoma and his family moved to Pasadena when he was 5. He played in ...

* ''

Love Bug The lovebug (''Plecia nearctica'') is a species of march fly found in parts of Central America and the southeastern United States, especially along the Gulf Coast. It is also known as the honeymoon fly or double-headed bug. During and after mat ...

'' (Blue Note, 1969)

References

External links

*
George Coleman as Sideman
{{DEFAULTSORT:Coleman, George 1935 births Living people Hard bop saxophonists Mainstream jazz saxophonists American jazz saxophonists American male saxophonists African-American jazz musicians African-American saxophonists Miles Davis Quintet members Musicians from Memphis, Tennessee 21st-century saxophonists American male jazz musicians Smoke Sessions Records artists