Steve Allee
Encyclopedia
Steve Allee is an American jazz musician and composer.
Allee attended Ben Davis High School
in Indianapolis
, Indiana. Allee was in a band during the early 1970s called the Baron Von Ohlen Quartet which self-released an album of the same name. By age 19, Allee was touring with the Buddy Rich
Orchestra.
Allee's big band CD, Downtown Blues, was nominated for a Grammy and featured bassist John Clayton
and drummer Joh Von Ohlen. Allee's first national solo record achieved a position of 14 on the Gavin national radio poll.
Allee has collaborated with many well known jazz musicians, including Slide Hampton
, James Moody
, Rufus Reid
Quintet, Bob Mintzer
, Randy Brecker
, Phil Woods
, Curtis Fuller
, the Buddy Rich
Orchestra, Jeff Hamilton
, John Clayton
, Tim Hagans
, John Riley
, Ira Sullivan
, Ed Thigpen
, Eddie Vinson
, Milt Hinton
, and Bobby Shew
.
Allee's accomplishments included being commissioned to write a piece for the 100th anniversary of the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra
, and composing the score for the film New York in the Fifties, based on a book of the same name by Dan Wakefield
. The score was performed live at the Montreux Jazz Festival
in Switzerland
. Allee has also composed the soundtrack for Something to Cheer About, the film of the 1954-55 Crispus Attucks
basketball team, starring Oscar Robertson
. Allee has written music for television shows, including Chicago Hope
, Friends
, NYPD Blue
, Mad About You
, Martha Stewart Show
, Nash Bridges
, Touched by an Angel
, and Dharma and Greg. He is the music director for the nationally syndicated radio show The Bob and Tom Show. He also leads his own big band and trio.
Allee signed with Indianapolis jazz label Owl Studios
in 2006 and has released two records on the label, Colors in 2007 and Dragonfly in 2008. Both albums were released under the Steve Alle Trio moniker and include bassist Bill Moring and drummer Tim Horner.
Allee attended Ben Davis High School
Ben Davis High School
Ben Davis High School is a three year American high school in Marion County, Indianapolis, Indiana. As of 2010 , it has a student enrollment of nearly 3,500 and a staff of 178.-History:...
in Indianapolis
Indianapolis
Indianapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Indiana, and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city's population is 839,489. It is by far Indiana's largest city and, as of the 2010 U.S...
, Indiana. Allee was in a band during the early 1970s called the Baron Von Ohlen Quartet which self-released an album of the same name. By age 19, Allee was touring with the Buddy Rich
Buddy Rich
Bernard "Buddy" Rich was an American jazz drummer and bandleader. Rich was billed as "the world's greatest drummer" and was known for his virtuosic technique, power, groove, and speed.-Early life:...
Orchestra.
Allee's big band CD, Downtown Blues, was nominated for a Grammy and featured bassist John Clayton
John Clayton (bassist)
John Travis Clayton Jr. is an American jazz and classical double bassist.-Music:John Travis Clayton Jr. began seriously undertaking the study of double bass at age 16, studying with bass legend Ray Brown...
and drummer Joh Von Ohlen. Allee's first national solo record achieved a position of 14 on the Gavin national radio poll.
Allee has collaborated with many well known jazz musicians, including Slide Hampton
Slide Hampton
Locksley Wellington "Slide" Hampton is an American jazz trombonist, composer and arranger.He was a 1998 Grammy Award winner for "Best Jazz Arrangement Accompanying Vocalist", as arranger for "Cotton Tail" performed by Dee Dee Bridgewater...
, James Moody
James Moody (saxophonist)
James Moody was an American jazz saxophone and flute player. He was best known for his hit "Moody's Mood for Love," an improvisation based on "I'm in the Mood for Love"; in performance, he often improvised vocals for the tune.-Biography:James Moody was born in Savannah, Georgia...
, Rufus Reid
Rufus Reid
Rufus Reid is an American jazz bassist, educator, and composer. He lives in Teaneck, New Jersey.-Personal history:...
Quintet, Bob Mintzer
Bob Mintzer
Bob Mintzer is a jazz saxophonist, composer, arranger, and big band leader based in Los Angeles, California. Mintzer is a member of the jazz rock band the Yellowjackets.-With The Yellowjackets:*Greenhouse, 1991;*Live Wires, 1992;...
, Randy Brecker
Randy Brecker
Randal "Randy" Brecker is an American trumpeter and flugelhornist. He is a highly sought after performer in the genres of jazz, rock, and R&B, and has performed or recorded with Stanley Turrentine, Billy Cobham, Bruce Springsteen, Lou Reed, Sandip Burman, Charles Mingus, Blood, Sweat & Tears,...
, Phil Woods
Phil Woods
Philip Wells Woods is an American jazz bebop alto saxophonist, clarinetist, bandleader and composer.-Biography:...
, Curtis Fuller
Curtis Fuller
Curtis DuBois Fuller is an American jazz trombonist, known as a member of Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers and contributor to many classic jazz recordings.-Biography:...
, the Buddy Rich
Buddy Rich
Bernard "Buddy" Rich was an American jazz drummer and bandleader. Rich was billed as "the world's greatest drummer" and was known for his virtuosic technique, power, groove, and speed.-Early life:...
Orchestra, Jeff Hamilton
Jeff Hamilton (drummer)
Jeff Hamilton is an American jazz drummer. He is co-director of the Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra and leader of his own trio.-Career:...
, John Clayton
John Clayton (bassist)
John Travis Clayton Jr. is an American jazz and classical double bassist.-Music:John Travis Clayton Jr. began seriously undertaking the study of double bass at age 16, studying with bass legend Ray Brown...
, Tim Hagans
Tim Hagans
Tim Hagans is a jazz trumpeter and composer.He has been nominated for Grammys for Best Instrumental Composition for "Box of Cannoli" from The Avatar Session ; and Best Contemporary Jazz CD for Animation*Imagination and Re-Animation .He grew up in Dayton, Ohio...
, John Riley
John Riley
John Riley was a poet who was associated with the British Poetry Revival.Riley was born and grew up in Leeds. He served in the Royal Air Force from 1956 to 1958 and then attended Pembroke College, Cambridge, graduating in 1961. He then worked as a teacher in various schools around the Cambridge area...
, Ira Sullivan
Ira Sullivan
Ira Sullivan is a bop jazz trumpeter, flugelhornist, flautist, saxophonist and composer born in Washington, D.C.. An active musician since the 1950s, he may be best known for his extensive work with Red Rodney and Lin Halliday among others....
, Ed Thigpen
Ed Thigpen
Edmund Leonard "Ed" Thigpen was an American jazz drummer, best-known for his work with the Oscar Peterson trio from 1959 to 1965...
, Eddie Vinson
Eddie Vinson
Eddie "Cleanhead" Vinson was an American jump blues, jazz, bebop and R&B alto saxophonist and blues shouter. He was nicknamed Cleanhead after an incident in which his hair was accidentally destroyed by lye contained in a hair straightening product.-Biography:Vinson was born in Houston, Texas...
, Milt Hinton
Milt Hinton
Milton John "Milt" Hinton , "the dean of jazz bass players," was an American jazz double bassist and photographer. He was nicknamed "The Judge".-Biography:...
, and Bobby Shew
Bobby Shew
-Biography:After leaving college in 1960, Shew was drafted into the U.S. Army and played trumpet with the NORAD band in Colorado Springs and on tour. After leaving the Army, Shew joined Tommy Dorsey's band and then played with the Woody Herman and then the Buddy Rich Big Bands in the mid-to-late...
.
Allee's accomplishments included being commissioned to write a piece for the 100th anniversary of the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra
Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra
The Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra is a major American orchestra based in Indianapolis, Indiana.Annually, the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra performs 200 concerts for over 350,000 people. It is the largest performing arts organization in Indiana. The ISO is currently one of only 18 American...
, and composing the score for the film New York in the Fifties, based on a book of the same name by Dan Wakefield
Dan Wakefield
Dan Wakefield is an American novelist, journalist and screenwriter. His best-selling novels, Going All the Way and Starting Over were made into feature films...
. The score was performed live at the Montreux Jazz Festival
Montreux Jazz Festival
The Montreux Jazz Festival is the best-known music festival in Switzerland and one of the most prestigious in Europe; it is held annually in early July in Montreux on the shores of Lake Geneva...
in Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
. Allee has also composed the soundtrack for Something to Cheer About, the film of the 1954-55 Crispus Attucks
Crispus Attucks
Crispus Attucks was a dockworker of Wampanoag and African descent. He was the first person shot to death by British redcoats during the Boston Massacre, in Boston, Massachusetts...
basketball team, starring Oscar Robertson
Oscar Robertson
Oscar Palmer Robertson , nicknamed "The Big O", is a former American NBA player with the Cincinnati Royals and the Milwaukee Bucks...
. Allee has written music for television shows, including Chicago Hope
Chicago Hope
Chicago Hope is an American medical drama series created by David E. Kelley that ran from September 18, 1994, to May 5, 2000. It takes place in a fictional private charity hospital.-Premise:The show stars Mandy Patinkin as Dr...
, Friends
Friends
Friends is an American sitcom created by David Crane and Marta Kauffman, which aired on NBC from September 22, 1994 to May 6, 2004. The series revolves around a group of friends in Manhattan. The series was produced by Bright/Kauffman/Crane Productions, in association with Warner Bros. Television...
, NYPD Blue
NYPD Blue
NYPD Blue is an American television police drama set in New York City, exploring the internal and external struggles of the fictional 15th precinct of Manhattan...
, Mad About You
Mad About You
Mad About You is an American sitcom that aired on NBC from September 23, 1992 to May 24, 1999. The show starred Paul Reiser and Helen Hunt as a newly married couple in New York City. Reiser played Paul Buchman, a documentary film maker. Hunt played Jamie Stemple Buchman, a public relations specialist...
, Martha Stewart Show
Martha (TV series)
Martha, also known as The Martha Stewart Show, is an American, weekday one-hour talk show hosted by Martha Stewart. Previously airing in first-run syndication, the show began exclusively airing on cable network Hallmark Channel since September 13, 2010.-History:The program originally debuted on...
, Nash Bridges
Nash Bridges
Nash Bridges is an American television police drama created by Carlton Cuse. The show starred Don Johnson and Cheech Marin as two Inspectors with the San Francisco Police Department's Special Investigations Unit. The show ran for six seasons on CBS from March 29, 1996 to May 4, 2001 with a total of...
, Touched by an Angel
Touched by an Angel
Touched by an Angel is an American drama series that premiered on CBS on September 21, 1994 and ran for 211 episodes and nine seasons until its conclusion on April 27, 2003. Created by John Masius and produced by Martha Williamson, the series stars Roma Downey, as an angel named Monica, and Della...
, and Dharma and Greg. He is the music director for the nationally syndicated radio show The Bob and Tom Show. He also leads his own big band and trio.
Allee signed with Indianapolis jazz label Owl Studios
Owl Studios
Owl Studios is an independent record label, started in 2005 by J. Allan Hall, that concentrates on jazz, R&B, and jam band genres. It is based in Indianapolis, Indiana and operates from its downtown offices on Monument Circle.-Formation:...
in 2006 and has released two records on the label, Colors in 2007 and Dragonfly in 2008. Both albums were released under the Steve Alle Trio moniker and include bassist Bill Moring and drummer Tim Horner.
Discography
- The Magic Hour (1995)
- Downtown BluesDowntown BluesThe Grammy-nominated Downtown Blues is Steve Allee's second album. This album contains music from the John Von Ohlen, Chuck Carter and Steve Allee Big Bands.- The Players :*Piano: Steve Allee*Organ: Steve Corn*Guitar: Royce Campbell...
(1999) - New York in the 50's (2001)
- Mirage (2003)
- Colors (2007)
- Dragonfly (2008)