orpheus10
Steve Coleman has been around the jazz scene since the late 70's.
Coleman (now age 63) grew up in South Side Chicago and started playing the alto sax at age 14. He moved to NYC in 1978 and payed his dues playing in the Thad Jones Mel Lewis Orchestra and Slide Hampton's big band among others. In 1985 he recorded his first of which would be 32 albums to date as a leader with his band called The Five Elements
Steve Coleman has been around the jazz scene since the late 70's.
Coleman (now age 63) grew up in South Side Chicago and started playing the alto sax at age 14. He moved to NYC in 1978 and payed his dues playing in the Thad Jones Mel Lewis Orchestra and Slide Hampton's big band among others. In 1985 he recorded his first of which would be 32 albums to date as a leader with his band called The Five Elements
The Five Elements has had many changes in musicians over the last 35 years but a couple of the mainstays have been the great Dave Holland on Bass and the great Marvin "Smitty" Smith on drums. Dave Holland reciprocated by inviting Coleman to play on 5 of his albums.
Coleman is a boundary stretcher who has songs rooted in "old school traditional jazz based on the blues and swing through the Avant Guard genre. Although I find the bulk of all of his material accessible and not "out there" like Albert Ayler.