Charles Tolliver
Encyclopedia
Charles Tolliver is an American
jazz
trumpeter and composer
. Tolliver was born in Jacksonville
, Florida
, where, as a child, he received his first trumpet as a gift from his grandmother. He attended Howard University
in the early 1960s as a pharmacy student, when he decided to pursue music as a career and moved to New York City
. He came to prominence in 1964, playing and recording on Jackie McLean
's Blue Note albums. In 1971, he and Stanley Cowell
founded Strata-East Records
, one of the pioneer artist-owned jazz record labels. Tolliver himself released many albums and collaborations on Strata. Following a long hiatus, he reemerged in the late 2000s, releasing two albums arranged for big band
. With Love was nominated in 2007 for a Grammy award for Best Large Jazz Ensemble
.
He would later describe his experience: "There was so much going on with the music. Like with bebop, we had a long period of just salivating on. There were all these different idioms within a genre, the avant-garde and free music, bebop still, and of course the music of John Coltrane
and Miles
. It was just a hell of a period. And then there was also the political scene going on..."
With Andrew Hill
With Jackie McLean
With Max Roach
With Horace Silver
With McCoy Tyner
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
trumpeter and composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
. Tolliver was born in Jacksonville
Jacksonville, Florida
Jacksonville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Florida in terms of both population and land area, and the largest city by area in the contiguous United States. It is the county seat of Duval County, with which the city government consolidated in 1968...
, Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
, where, as a child, he received his first trumpet as a gift from his grandmother. He attended Howard University
Howard University
Howard University is a federally chartered, non-profit, private, coeducational, nonsectarian, historically black university located in Washington, D.C., United States...
in the early 1960s as a pharmacy student, when he decided to pursue music as a career and moved to New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. He came to prominence in 1964, playing and recording on Jackie McLean
Jackie McLean
John Lenwood McLean was an American jazz alto saxophonist, composer, bandleader and educator, born in New York City.-Biography:McLean's father, John Sr., played guitar in Tiny Bradshaw's orchestra...
's Blue Note albums. In 1971, he and Stanley Cowell
Stanley Cowell
Stanley Cowell is an American jazz pianist and founder of the Strata-East Records label. He played with Roland Kirk while studying at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music, and later with Marion Brown, Max Roach, Bobby Hutcherson, Clifford Jordan, Harold Land, Sonny Rollins and Stan Getz...
founded Strata-East Records
Strata-East Records
Strata-East Records is an American record label specialising in jazz which was founded in 1971 by Stanley Cowell and Charles Tolliver.Gil Scott-Heron recorded his 1974 album Winter in America with Brian Jackson for Strata-East. "The Bottle" featured on the album, was a popular single...
, one of the pioneer artist-owned jazz record labels. Tolliver himself released many albums and collaborations on Strata. Following a long hiatus, he reemerged in the late 2000s, releasing two albums arranged for big band
Big band
A big band is a type of musical ensemble associated with jazz and the Swing Era typically consisting of rhythm, brass, and woodwind instruments totaling approximately twelve to twenty-five musicians...
. With Love was nominated in 2007 for a Grammy award for Best Large Jazz Ensemble
Grammy Award for Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album
The Grammy Award for Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album has been presented since 1961. From 1962 to 1971 and 1979 to 1991 the award title specified instrumental performances...
.
He would later describe his experience: "There was so much going on with the music. Like with bebop, we had a long period of just salivating on. There were all these different idioms within a genre, the avant-garde and free music, bebop still, and of course the music of John Coltrane
John Coltrane
John William Coltrane was an American jazz saxophonist and composer. Working in the bebop and hard bop idioms early in his career, Coltrane helped pioneer the use of modes in jazz and later was at the forefront of free jazz...
and Miles
Miles Davis
Miles Dewey Davis III was an American jazz musician, trumpeter, bandleader, and composer. Widely considered one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century, Miles Davis was, with his musical groups, at the forefront of several major developments in jazz music, including bebop, cool jazz,...
. It was just a hell of a period. And then there was also the political scene going on..."
As leader
- 1968: Charles Tolliver and His All Stars (Black LionBlack Lion RecordsBlack Lion Records was a jazz record label based in London, England.Black Lion was founded by Alan Bates in 1968. The label had two series of releases, one for British jazz musicians and one for international musicians...
) aka Paper Man (FreedomFreedom RecordsFreedom Records was a jazz record label linked with the producer Alan Bates, as with his Black Lion Records.Individual recordings were distributed via Polydor Records and Transatlantic Records during the early 1970s before the company was bought by Arista Records.-Discography:*1000 Albert Ayler &...
) with Herbie HancockHerbie HancockHerbert Jeffrey "Herbie" Hancock is an American pianist, bandleader and composer. As part of Miles Davis's "second great quintet," Hancock helped to redefine the role of a jazz rhythm section and was one of the primary architects of the "post-bop" sound...
, Ron CarterRon CarterRon Carter is an American jazz double-bassist. His appearances on over 2,500 albums make him one of the most-recorded bassists in jazz history, along with Milt Hinton, Ray Brown and Leroy Vinnegar. Carter is also an acclaimed cellist who has recorded numerous times on that...
, Paul ChambersPaul ChambersPaul Laurence Dunbar Chambers, Jr. was a jazz bassist. A fixture of rhythm sections during the 1950s and 1960s, his importance in the development of jazz bass can be measured not only by the length and breadth of his work in this short period but also his impeccable time, intonation, and virtuosic...
, Gary BartzGary BartzGary Bartz is an American alto and soprano saxophonist and clarinetist.Bartz graduated from the Baltimore City College high school and The Juilliard School... - 1969: The Ringer (Freedom) with Stanley Cowell, Steve Novosel, Jimmy Hopps
- 1970: Live at Slugs (Strata-East) with Cecil McBee, Jimmy Hopps, Stanley Cowell
- 1971: Music Inc. (Strata-East) with Stanley Cowell, Ron MathewsonRon MathewsonRon Mathewson is a Scottish jazz double bassist and bass guitarist born in Lerwick, Shetland Isles, Scotland. Mathewson is best known for his years spent working with Ronnie Scott, but has also done recordings with Stan Getz, Joe Henderson, Ben Webster, Philly Joe Jones, Roy Eldridge, Oscar...
, Alvin Queen - 1972: Live at the Loosdrechdt Jazz Festival (Strata-East), aka Grand Max (Black Lion) with John HicksJohn Hicks (jazz pianist)John Josephus Hicks, Jr. was an American jazz pianist and composer, active in the New York and the international jazz scene from the mid-1960s.-Biography:...
, Reggie WorkmanReggie WorkmanReginald "Reggie" Workman is an American avant-garde jazz and hard bop double bassist, recognized for his work with both John Coltrane and Art Blakey....
, Alvin Queen - 1972: Impact (Strata-East) with Jon FaddisJon FaddisJon Faddis is an American jazz trumpet player, conductor, composer, and educator renowned for both his highly virtuosic command of the instrument and for his expertise in the field of music education...
, Charles McPherson, James Spaulding, Stanley Cowell, Cecil McBeeCecil McBeeCecil McBee is an American post bop jazz bassist, described by the Guinness Who's Who of Jazz as "a full-toned bassist who creates rich, singing phrases in a wide range of contemporary jazz contexts." Allmusic called him "One of post-bop's most advanced and versatile bassists".-Biography:McBee... - 1973: Live in Tokyo (Strata-East) with Clint HoustonClint HoustonClinton Joseph Houston was an American jazz double-bassist.Houston played with George Cables and Lenny White in the house band at Slugs, a club in New York City, then played with Nina Simone , Roy Haynes , Sonny Greenwich and Don Thompson , Roy Ayers , Charles Tolliver , Stan Getz , and Woody Shaw...
, Clifford Barbaro, Stanley Cowell - 1977: Compassion (Strata-East) with Steve Novosel, Alvin Queen, Nathan Page
- 1988: Live in Berlin at the Quasimodo (Strata-East) with Alain Jean-Marie, Ralph Van Duncan, Ugonna Okegwa
- 2007: With Love (Blue NoteBlue Note RecordsBlue Note Records is a jazz record label, established in 1939 by Alfred Lion and Max Margulis. Francis Wolff became involved shortly afterwards. It derives its name from the characteristic "blue notes" of jazz and the blues. At the end of the 1950s, and in the early 1960s, Blue Note headquarters...
) with big band including Craig HandyCraig HandyCraig Mitchell Handy is an American post-bop tenor saxophonist.Born in Oakland, California, Handy attended North Texas State University from 1981 to 1984, and following this played with Art Blakey, Wynton Marsalis, Roy Haynes, Abdullah Ibrahim, Elvin Jones, Joe Henderson, Betty Carter, George...
, Robert GlasperRobert GlasperRobert Glasper in Houston, Texas is an American jazz pianist and record producer.-Career:Glasper’s earliest musical influence was his mother, Kim Yvette Glasper, who sang jazz and blues professionally. She would bring him with her to club dates rather than leave her son with babysitters...
, Stanley Cowell, Victor LewisVictor LewisVictor Lewis is an American jazz drummer, a major force in the genre since the 1980s.-As leader:*1992: Family Portrait - with John Stubblefield, Edward Simon, Cecil McBee, Don Alias, Jumma Santos...
, Billy HarperBilly HarperBilly Harper is a Jazz saxophonist, "one of a generation of Coltrane-influenced tenor saxophonists" with a distinctively stern, hard-as-nails sound on his instrument.-Biography:...
, Howard JohnsonHoward Johnson (jazz musician)Howard Lewis Johnson in Montgomery, Alabama, is an American jazz musician known mainly for his work on tuba and baritone saxophone, although he also plays the bass clarinet, trumpet and other reed instruments....
, et al - 2009: Emperor March: Live at the Blue Note (Half NoteHalf Note RecordsHalf Note Records is a jazz record label founded by the Blue Note Jazz Club in 1998. Although initially it only released live recordings from the club, the label has since expanded its scope to release studio albums as well....
) with big band
As a sideman
With Booker ErvinBooker Ervin
Booker Telleferro Ervin II was an American tenor saxophone player. He was perhaps best known for his association with bassist Charles Mingus....
- Structurally SoundStructurally SoundStructurally Sound is an album by American jazz saxophonist Booker Ervin recorded in 1967 and released on the Pacific Jazz label. The album was rereleased on CD in 2001 on the Blue Note label with four bonus tracks.-Reception:...
(Pacific Jazz, 1966) - Booker 'n' BrassBooker 'n' BrassBooker 'n' Brass is an album by American jazz saxophonist Booker Ervin featuring performances recorded in 1967 for the Pacific Jazz label.-Reception:The Allmusic review by Michael G...
(Pacific Jazz, 1967)
With Andrew Hill
Andrew Hill
Andrew Hill was an American jazz pianist and composer.Hill is recognized as one of the most important innovators of jazz piano in the 1960s...
- Dance with DeathDance with DeathDance with Death is an album by American jazz pianist Andrew Hill featuring performances recorded in 1968 but not released on the Blue Note label until 1980...
(Blue Note, 1968 [1980]) - Time LinesTime LinesTime Lines is an album by American jazz pianist Andrew Hill recorded in 2005 and released on the Blue Note label in 2006. The album features Hill's final studio recordings.-Reception:...
(Blue Note, 2006)
With Jackie McLean
Jackie McLean
John Lenwood McLean was an American jazz alto saxophonist, composer, bandleader and educator, born in New York City.-Biography:McLean's father, John Sr., played guitar in Tiny Bradshaw's orchestra...
- It's Time!It's Time! (Jackie McLean album)It's Time! is an album by American saxophonist Jackie McLean recorded in 1964 and released on the Blue Note label.-Track listing:# "Cancellation" - 7:45# "Das' Dat" - 6:26# "It's Time" - 6:35# "Revillot" - 7:51...
(Blue Note, 1964) - Action Action ActionAction Action ActionAction Action Action is an album by American saxophonist Jackie McLean recorded in 1964 and released on the Blue Note label.-Reception:...
(Blue Note, 1964) - JacknifeJacknife (album)Jacknife is an album by American saxophonist Jackie McLean recorded in 1965 but not released until 1975 on the Blue Note label. The album was initially released as a double LP containing sessions from 1965 and 1966 but the single CD release only contains those tracks from 1965.-Reception:The...
(Blue Note, 1965)
With Max Roach
Max Roach
Maxwell Lemuel "Max" Roach was an American jazz percussionist, drummer, and composer.A pioneer of bebop, Roach went on to work in many other styles of music, and is generally considered alongside the most important drummers in history...
- Members, Don't Git Weary (Atlantic, 1968)
With Horace Silver
Horace Silver
Horace Silver , born Horace Ward Martin Tavares Silva in Norwalk, Connecticut, is an American jazz pianist and composer....
- Serenade to a Soul SisterSerenade to a Soul SisterSerenade to a Soul Sister is an album by jazz pianist Horace Silver released on the Blue Note label in 1968, featuring performances by Silver with Charles Tolliver, Stanley Turrentine, Bennie Maupin, Bob Cranshaw, John Williams, Mickey Roker and Billy Cobham...
(Blue Note, 1968)
With McCoy Tyner
McCoy Tyner
McCoy Tyner is a jazz pianist from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, known for his work with the John Coltrane Quartet and a long solo career.-Early life:...
- Song for My LadySong for My LadySong for My Lady is a 1973 album by jazz pianist McCoy Tyner, his second to be released on the Milestone label. It was recorded in September and November 1972 and features performances by Tyner with Sonny Fortune, Calvin Hill, Alphonse Mouzon with Charles Tolliver and Mtume joining on two tracks...
(Milestone, 1972)