Steve Coleman (born September 20, 1956) is an American saxophonist, composer, bandleader and music theorist. In 2014, he was named a
MacArthur Fellow
The MacArthur Fellows Program, also known as the MacArthur Fellowship and commonly but unofficially known as the "Genius Grant", is a prize awarded annually by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation typically to between 20 and 30 ind ...
.
Early life
Steve Coleman was born and grew up in
South Side, Chicago
The South Side is an area of Chicago, Illinois, U.S. It lies south of the city's Loop area in the downtown. Geographically, it is the largest of the three sides of the city that radiate from downtown, with the other two being the north and we ...
. He started playing alto saxophone at the age of 14. Coleman attended
Illinois Wesleyan University
Illinois ( ) is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolitan areas include, Peoria and Rockf ...
for two years,. followed by a transfer to Roosevelt University ( Chicago Musical College).
Coleman moved to New York in 1978 and worked in big bands such as
the Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Orchestra
The Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Jazz Orchestra was a jazz big band formed by trumpeter Thad Jones and drummer Mel Lewis in New York in 1965.Lisik/Allen. 50 Years at the Village Vanguard:Thad Jone, Mel Lewis and the Village Vanguard Orchestra. Sky Dec ...
,
Slide Hampton
Locksley Wellington Hampton (April 21, 1932 – November 18, 2021) was an American jazz trombonist, composer and arranger. As his nickname implies, Hampton's main instrument was slide trombone, but he also occasionally played tuba and flugelho ...
's big band, Sam Rivers' Studio Rivbea Orchestra, and briefly in
Cecil Taylor
Cecil Percival Taylor (March 25, 1929April 5, 2018) was an American pianist and poet.
Taylor was classically trained and was one of the pioneers of free jazz. His music is characterized by an energetic, physical approach, resulting in complex ...
Dave Holland
David “Dave” Holland (born 1 October 1946) is an English jazz double bassist, composer and bandleader who has been performing and recording for five decades. He has lived in the United States for over 40 years.
His extensive discography r ...
,
Michael Brecker
Michael Leonard Brecker (March 29, 1949 – January 13, 2007) was an American jazz saxophonist and composer. He was awarded 15 Grammy Awards as both performer and composer. He was awarded an Honorary Doctorate from Berklee College of ...
and Abbey Lincoln. For the first four years in New York Coleman spent a good deal of time playing in the streets and in tiny clubs with a band that he put together with trumpeter Graham Haynes, the group that would evolve into the ensemble Steve Coleman and Five Elements that would serve as the main ensemble for Coleman's activities. In this group, he developed his concept of improvisation within nested looping structures. Coleman collaborated with other young African-American musicians such as
Cassandra Wilson
Cassandra Wilson (born December 4, 1955) is an American jazz singer, songwriter, and producer from Jackson, Mississippi. She is one of the most successful female Jazz singers and has been described by critic Gary Giddins as "a singer blessed ...
and Greg Osby, and they founded the so-called M-Base movement.
Research
Coleman regards the music tradition he is coming from as
African Diaspora
The African diaspora is the worldwide collection of communities descended from native Africans or people from Africa, predominantly in the Americas. The term most commonly refers to the descendants of the West and Central Africans who were ...
n culture with essential African retentions, especially a certain kind of sensibility. He searched for these roots and their connections of contemporary African-American music. For that purpose, he travelled to
Ghana
Ghana (; tw, Gaana, ee, Gana), officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It abuts the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, sharing borders with Ivory Coast in Ghana–Ivory Coast border, the west, Burkina ...
at the end of 1993 and came in contact with (among others) the Dagomba (Dagbon) people whose traditional drum music uses very complex
polyrhythm
Polyrhythm is the simultaneous use of two or more rhythms that are not readily perceived as deriving from one another, or as simple manifestations of the same meter. The rhythmic layers may be the basis of an entire piece of music ( cross-rhyt ...
and a drum language that allows sophisticated speaking through music (described and recorded by John Miller Chernoff). Thus, Coleman was animated to think about the role of music and the transmission of information in non-western cultures. He wanted to collaborate with musicians who were involved in traditions which come out of West Africa. One of his main interests was the Yoruba tradition (predominantly out of western Nigeria) which is one of the Ancient African Religions underlying
Santería
Santería (), also known as Regla de Ocha, Regla Lucumí, or Lucumí, is an African diasporic religion that developed in Cuba during the late 19th century. It arose through a process of syncretism between the traditional Yoruba religion of We ...
Candomblé
Candomblé () is an African diasporic religion that developed in Brazil during the 19th century. It arose through a process of syncretism between several of the traditional religions of West Africa, especially that of the Yoruba, and the Roman C ...
( Bahia, Brazil). In Cuba, Coleman found the group Afrocuba de Matanzas who specialized in preserving various styles of rumba as well as all in Cuba persisting African traditions which are mixed together under the general title of Santería ( Abakuá, Arara, Congo, Yoruba). In 1996 Coleman along with a group of 10 musicians as well as dancers and the group Afrocuba de Matanzas worked together for 12 days, performed at the Havana Jazz Festival, and recorded the album ''The Sign and the Seal''. In 1997 Coleman took a group of musicians from America and Cuba to
to collaborate and participate in musical and cultural exchanges with the musicians of the local Senegalese group Sing Sing Rhythm. He also led his group Five Elements to the south of India in 1998 to participate in a cultural exchange with different musicians in the
carnatic music
Carnatic music, known as or in the South Indian languages, is a system of music commonly associated with South India, including the modern Indian states of Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Kerala and Tamil Nadu, and Sri Lanka. It is o ...
tradition.
In September 2014, Coleman was awarded a MacArthur Fellowship for "refreshing traditional templates to create distinctive and innovative work in ... jazz."
Discography
As leader
* ''
Motherland Pulse
''Motherland Pulse'' is the debut album by saxophonist Steve Coleman recorded in 1985 and released on JMT Records.
'' (JMT, 1985)
* ''
On the Edge of Tomorrow
''On the Edge of Tomorrow'' is the second album by saxophonist Steve Coleman recorded in 1986 and released on the JMT Records, JMT label.
'' (JMT, 1986)
* '' World Expansion'' (JMT, 1987)
* ''Sine Die'' (Pangaea, 1988) – recorded in 1987–88
* ''
Rhythm People (The Resurrection of Creative Black Civilization)
''Rhythm People (The Resurrection of Creative Black Civilization)'' is an album by the American saxophonist Steve Coleman, released in 1990. He is credited with his band, the Five Elements.
Production
Coleman wrote or cowrote all of ''Rhythm Peop ...
'' (RCA Novus, 1990)
* '' Black Science'' (RCA Novus, 1991) – recorded in 1990
* ''Phase Space'' with
Dave Holland
David “Dave” Holland (born 1 October 1946) is an English jazz double bassist, composer and bandleader who has been performing and recording for five decades. He has lived in the United States for over 40 years.
His extensive discography r ...
(Rebel-X, 1991)
* ''
Drop Kick
A drop kick is a type of kick in various codes of football. It involves a player dropping the ball and then kicking it as it touches the ground.
Drop kicks are used as a method of restarting play and scoring points in rugby union and rugby leag ...
'' (RCA Novus, 1992)
* '' Rhythm in Mind'' (Novus, 1992) – recorded in 1991
* '' The Tao of Mad Phat'' (RCA Novus, 1993)
* ''We Beez Like That!'' (InfoMatin, 1995)
* ''Myths, Modes and Means'' (BMG, 1995)
* ''The Way of the Cipher'' (BMG, 1995)
* ''Def Trance Beat'' (BMG, 1995)
* ''Curves of Life'' (BMG, 1995)
* ''Steve Coleman's Music: Live in Paris'' (BMG, 1995)
* ''The Sign and the Seal'' (BMG, 1996)
* ''Genesis & the Opening of the Way'' (BMG, 1997)
* ''The Sonic Language of Myth'' (RCA Victor, 1999)
* ''The Ascension to Light'' (BMG, 2001)
* ''Resistance Is Futile'' (Label Bleu, 2001)
* ''On the Rising of the 64 Paths'' (Label Bleu, 2002)
* ''Lucidarium'' (Label Bleu, 2004)
* ''Weaving Symbolics'' (Label Bleu, 2006)
* ''Invisible Paths: First Scattering'' (Tzadik, 2007)
* ''Harvesting Semblances and Affinities'' (Pi, 2010) – recorded in 2006–07
* ''The Mancy of Sound'' (Pi, 2011) – recorded in 2007
* ''
Functional Arrhythmias
''Functional Arrhythmias'' is an album by American jazz saxophonist Steve Coleman and his band Five Elements, which was recorded in 2012 and released on Pi Recordings. This version of the ensemble is notable for the return of Anthony Tidd on elec ...
'' (Pi, 2013) – recorded in 2012
* ''Synovial Joints'' (Pi, 2015) – recorded in 2014
* ''
Morphogenesis
Morphogenesis (from the Greek ''morphê'' shape and ''genesis'' creation, literally "the generation of form") is the biological process that causes a cell, tissue or organism to develop its shape. It is one of three fundamental aspects of deve ...
'' (Pi, 2017) – recorded in 2016
* ''Live at the Village Vanguard Vol. I (The Embedded Sets)'' (Pi, 2018) – live
* ''Live at the Village Vanguard Vol. II (MDW NTR)'' (Pi, 2021) – live
As group
M-Base
* ''Anatomy of a Groove'' (DIW, 1992) – recorded in 1991–92
As sideman
With Doug Hammond
* ''Spaces'' (Idibib, 1982) – digitally remixed and produced by Coleman (Rebel-X, 1991)
* ''Perspicuity'' (L+R, 1991)
With
Dave Holland
David “Dave” Holland (born 1 October 1946) is an English jazz double bassist, composer and bandleader who has been performing and recording for five decades. He has lived in the United States for over 40 years.
His extensive discography r ...
* 1983: ''
Jumpin' In
''Jumpin' In'' is an album by bassist Dave Holland, recorded in 1983 and released on the ECM label. It features Holland with his quintet of trumpeter Kenny Wheeler, alto saxophonist Steve Coleman, trombonist Julian Priester and drummer Steve ...
'' (
ECM
ECM may refer to:
Economics and commerce
* Engineering change management
* Equity capital markets
* Error correction model, an econometric model
* European Common Market
Mathematics
* Elliptic curve method
* European Congress of Mathematics
...
The Razor's Edge
''The Razor's Edge'' is a 1944 novel by W. Somerset Maugham. It tells the story of Larry Darrell, an American pilot traumatized by his experiences in World War I, who sets off in search of some transcendent meaning in his life. The story beg ...
'' (ECM, 1987)
* 1988: ''
Triplicate
Triplicate typically refers to a document created three times simultaneously, as with carbonless copy paper.
Triplicate may also refer to:
*Del Norte Triplicate, a newspaper in Crescent City, California
*Triplicate (horse)
Triplicate (foaled 1 ...
'' (ECM, 1988)
* 1989: '' Extensions'' (ECM, 1990)
With
Thad Jones
Thaddeus Joseph Jones (March 28, 1923 – August 20, 1986) was an American jazz trumpeter, composer, and bandleader who has been called "one of the all-time greatest jazz trumpet soloists".
Biography
Thad Jones was born in Pontiac, Michigan, ...
/ Mel Lewis
* ''One More Time!'' (PolJazz, 1978)
* '' Body and Soul'' (West Wind, 1990)
* ''The Orchestra'' (West Wind, 1990)
* '' A Touch of Class'' (West Wind, 1992)
With Mel Lewis
* ''Naturally'' (Telarc, 1979)
* ''Live in Montreux'' (MPS, 1981)
With Abbey Lincoln
* 1983: ''Talking to the Sun'' (
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 ...
, 1984)
* 1997: ''Who Used to Dance'' ( Verve, 1997)
With Errol Parker
* ''The Errol Parker Tentet'' (Sahara, 1982)
* ''Live at the Wollman Auditorium'' (Sahara, 1985)
With
The Roots
The Roots are an American hip hop band formed in 1987 by Tariq "Black Thought" Trotter and Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. The Roots serve as the house band on NBC's '' The Tonight Show Starring Jimm ...
Cassandra Wilson
Cassandra Wilson (born December 4, 1955) is an American jazz singer, songwriter, and producer from Jackson, Mississippi. She is one of the most successful female Jazz singers and has been described by critic Gary Giddins as "a singer blessed ...
Days Aweigh
''Days Aweigh'' is the second studio album by American jazz singer Cassandra Wilson. It was originally released on the JMT label in 1987 and later rereleased on Winter & Winter.Shimada, T.JMT label discography accessed September 26, 2014
Recepti ...
Traveling Miles
''Traveling Miles'' is the thirteenth studio album by American jazz vocalist Cassandra Wilson. Released on the Blue Note label in 1999, it is a tribute to Miles Davis, taking many of its cues from Davis' catalog of recordings with Columbia Recor ...
Franco Ambrosetti
Franco Ambrosetti (born 10 December 1941) is a jazz trumpeter, flugelhornist and composer. He was born in Lugano, Switzerland; his father, Flavio, was a saxophonist who once played opposite Charlie Parker.Tentets'' (Enja, 1985)
* Cindy Blackman, '' Code Red'' (Muse, 1992) – recorded in 1990
*
Bob Brookmeyer
Robert Edward "Bob" Brookmeyer (December 19, 1929 – December 15, 2011) was an American jazz valve trombonist, pianist, arranger, and composer. Born in Kansas City, Missouri, Brookmeyer first gained widespread public attention as a member of ...
, ''Composer & Arranger'' (Gryphon, 1980)
* Ravi Coltrane, '' Moving Pictures'' (RCA/BMG, 1998) – recorded in 1997
*
Stanley Cowell
Stanley Cowell (May 5, 1941 – December 17, 2020) was an American jazz pianist and co-founder of the Strata-East Records label.
Early life
Cowell was born in Toledo, Ohio. He began playing the piano around the age of four, and became intereste ...
, ''
Back to the Beautiful
''Back to the Beautiful'' is an album by pianist Stanley Cowell recorded in 1989 and first released on the Concord label.
Reception
In the Chicago Tribune, Jack Fuller stated "this one is such easy listening that you could be deceived into think ...
'' (Concord Jazz, 1989)
* Dice Raw, ''Reclaiming the Dead'' (MCA, 2000)
* Robin Eubanks, ''
Different Perspectives
''Different Perspectives'' is the debut album by trombonist Robin Eubanks which was recorded in 1988 and released on the JMT label.Shimada, T.JMT label discography accessed November 14, 2014
Reception
The AllMusic review by Michael G. Nastos sa ...
Chico Freeman
Chico Freeman (born Earl Lavon Freeman Jr.; July 17, 1949) is a modern jazz tenor saxophonist and trumpeter and son of jazz saxophonist Von Freeman. He began recording as lead musician in 1976 with ''Morning Prayer'', won the New York Jazz Awar ...
, ''Tangents'' (Elektra Musician, 1984)
* Craig Harris, ''Souls Within the Veil'' (Aquastra Music, 2005)
*
Billy Hart
Billy Hart (born November 29, 1940) is an American jazz drummer and educator. He is known internationally for his work with Herbie Hancock's " Mwandishi" band in the early 1970s, as well with Shirley Horn, Stan Getz, and Quest, among others.
B ...
Vijay Iyer
Vijay Iyer (born October 26, 1971) is an American composer, pianist, bandleader, producer and writer based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' has called him a "social conscience, multimedia collaborator, system builder, rhapsodist, histori ...
MC Solaar
Claude M'Barali, professionally known as MC Solaar (; born 5 March 1969), is a French rapper of Senegalese and Chadian origin. He is one of France's most famous and influential hip hop artists. Some consider him the best French rapper of all t ...
, ''
Prose Combat
''Prose Combat'' is the second studio album by French rapper MC Solaar, released in 1994 by Cohiba Records. Its success propelled him to international fame.
An outtake from the album sessions was "Comme dans un film" (falsely known as "John Woo ...
'' (Talkin' Loud, 1994)
*
Sato Michihiro
Michihiro Sato ( 佐藤 通弘, ''Satō Michihiro''; surname Sato; name sometimes listed as Sato Michihiro; (born 1957), is a prominent Japanese player of the ''Tsugaru-jamisen''.
Born in Machida, Tokyo, Japan, his mother was a traditional dance ...
, ''Rodan'' (hat ART, 1989)
* Andy Milne, ''Forward to Get Back'' (D'Note 1997)
* David Murray, ''
Live at Sweet Basil Volume 1
''Live at Sweet Basil Volume 1'' is an album by David Murray released on the Italian Black Saint label in 1984 and the first to feature his Big Band.
Dafnis Prieto
Dafnis Prieto (born July 31, 1974) is a Cuban-American drummer, composer, bandleader, and educator.
Career
In his home town of Santa Clara, Cuba, Prieto studied percussion and guitar. During his teens, he moved to Havana to study at the Nati ...
, ''Back to the Sunset'' (Dafnison Music 2018)
* Sam Rivers, '' Colours'' (Black Saint, 1983)
* Sam Rivers' Rivbea All-star Orchestra, ''
Culmination
In observational astronomy, culmination is the passage of a celestial object (such as the Sun, the Moon, a planet, a star, constellation or a deep-sky object) across the observer's local meridian. These events were also known as meridian tran ...
Mal Waldron
Malcolm Earl "Mal" Waldron (August 16, 1925 – December 2, 2002) was an American jazz pianist, composer, and arranger. He started playing professionally in New York in 1950, after graduating from college. In the following dozen years or so Wa ...