Tune in to Jazz Profiles this Sunday as we delve deep into Charles Tolliver's outstanding body of work. The trumpeter, composer/arranger and bandleader will be present for the last 2 hours of the show, providing insight into his work as a leader and more.
Charles Tolliver was born in Jacksonville, Florida in 1942. After a few years of college majoring in pharmacy at Howard University, and formulating his trumpet style, Tolliver began his professional career with the saxophone giant Jackie Mclean. Making his recording debut with McLean on Blue Note Records in 1964, he has since recorded and/or performed with such renowned artists as Roy Haynes, Hank Mobley, Willie Bobo, Horace Silver, McCoy Tyner, Sonny Rollins, Booker Ervin, Gary Bartz, Herbie Hancock, The Gerald Wilson Orchestra, Oliver Nelson, Andrew Hill, Louis Hayes, Roy Ayers, Art Blakey & the Jazz Messengers, and Max Roach.
In 1969 he formed the quartet Music Inc which has become internationally respected for its innovative trumpet quartet approach. In 1970 he and his alter ego fellow musician artist Stanley Cowell created Strata-East Records which he has steadfastly kept alive straight into the present. Having already issued two critically acclaimed big band LPs, “Music Inc & Big Band” and “Impact”, now in the new millennium he once again returned to the big band format. In 2007 he issued on Blue Note Records his big band recording entitled, “With Love” which was immediately Grammy Nominated. His newest big band CD “Emperor March” recorded live at the Blue Note New York City was released in March 2009.
Charles has perfected an extremely individual and distinctive sound which clearly sets him apart from other trumpet players. Characterized by a strong sense of tradition, he said in a recent Downbeat magazine interview about his approach to improvising that, “I like to rumble. I take the most difficult routes for improvisation. It’s easy to play a number of choruses effortlessly and never make a mistake, never break down. That’s no fun. You need to get in hot water by trying something out right from the jump, get yourself out of that, and move on to the next chorus.”
Biography adapted from http://charlestolliver.com/biography/
Hosted by Ahmet Ali Arslan.
