Historical Dictionary of Jazz. John S. Davis
with Gene Krupa, and during the 1950s he appeared in a number of films. In the late 1950s his recording of “Topsy” with Jack Teagarden and Earl Hines was a surprise Top 40 hit. During the 1960s and 1970s, Cole toured and freelanced before passing away from cancer in 1981.
COLEMAN, EARL (1925–1995)
A singer, Earl Coleman started with Billy McShann and Earl Hines before he recorded his hit “This Is Always” with Charlie Parker in 1947. He would go on to record with notable jazz musicians including Fats Navarro, Max Roach, Art Farmer, and Sonny Rollins, among others, in addition to a few records later in his life as a leader.
COLEMAN, GEORGE (1935–)
Coleman taught himself to play alto saxophone in his teenage years. In the early 1950s he played with B. B. King, and by 1955 he had switched to playing tenor saxophone. In 1958 he joined Max Roach’s quintet, and in 1960 he joined Slide Hampton’s octet, recording with Lee Morgan, Booker Little, and others. From 1963 to 1964 he performed with Miles Davis; in 1964 he left the group to play with Elvin Jones. He also played with Herbie Hancock on his album Maiden Voyage in 1965. Since 1973, Coleman has focused primarily on his own groups, working in quartet, quintet, and octet settings, adding the soprano saxophone to his repertoire in 1990. He has recorded more than a dozen albums as leader and numerous recordings as a sideman. Coleman has conducted educational workshops at universities throughout the United States, and in 1997 he received the Jazz Foundation of America’s Life Achievement Award. In 2002, he recorded Four Generations of Miles (Chesky Records) with Ron Carter, Jimmy Cobb, and guitarist Mike Stern.
COLEMAN, ORNETTE (1930–2015)
An alto saxophonist, Coleman was instrumental in the development of avant-garde jazz. Ornette Coleman’s initial influence was Charlie Parker. He played with several rhythm and blues (R&B) bands before a tour with Pee Wee Crayton led him to Los Angeles in 1950. In Los Angeles, Coleman took a job as an elevator operator and studied music theory and harmony textbooks, developing many of the theories and concepts that would later prove controversial. Having difficulty finding people with whom to perform, he was finally discovered by Red Mitchell and Percy Heath. At the behest of John Lewis, Coleman and Don Cherry attended the Lenox School of Jazz in 1959, and Coleman’s quartet (which included Cherry, Charlie Haden, and Billy Higgins) began an extended appearance at the Five Spot Café in New York. It was during this time at the Five Spot that Coleman recorded some of his most influential albums, including The Shape of Jazz to Come (1959, Atlantic) and Free Jazz (1961, Atlantic). These albums, in particular Free Jazz, were highly influential in the avant-garde movement, but also extremely controversial.
Coleman retired in 1962 but returned in 1965 after teaching himself to play the trumpet and violin. By the end of the 1960s, Coleman was again playing with Cherry, Haden, and other previous band members. In the mid-1970s, Coleman formed the group Prime Time and codified his personal music theory as “harmolodics”—equality of harmony, melody, and rhythm. In 2007 he was awarded both the Pulitzer Prize and the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. See also FREE JAZZ.
COLEMAN, STEVE (1956–)
Coleman, a saxophonist, began his musical studies at the age of 14. After beginning his professional career in Chicago, Illinois, he relocated to New York City and began playing with the Thad Jones–Mel Lewis Big Band. He soon began playing as a sideman with jazz artists including David Murray, Dave Holland, Michael Brecker, and vocalist Abbey Lincoln. Coleman is considered one of the leading contributors to the musical movement known as M-Base. A combination of philosophical studies and international trips has impacted his music in significant ways. He has established himself as an advocate for the connection of the music of today with the dynamic musical traditions of Africa, India, Cuba, and other peoples living in various parts of the world. Coleman was awarded a MacArthur genius grant in 2014.
COLEMAN, WILLIAM JOHNSON “BILL” (1904–1981)
Originally a clarinet and saxophone player, Bill Coleman switched to the trumpet after hearing Louis Armstrong. In the 1920s and 1930s, Coleman played in various bands, getting his recording debut with Lloyd and Cecil Scott in 1927. Coleman recorded with Fats Waller while in Teddy Hill’s band from 1934 to 1935 and thereafter moved to Paris where he toured with Willie Lewis and performed with his own groups. He returned to New York in 1940 and played with various bands including Benny Carter, Teddy Wilson, Andy Kirk, and others, and he recorded with both Lester Young and Coleman Hawkins in 1943. In 1948 Coleman moved permanently back to France and toured and recorded there for the rest of his life. See also FRANCE.
COLLECTIVE IMPROVISATION
A form of improvisation where some or all members of the group improvise at the same time and no one voice is more important than another.
COLLETTE, WILLIAM MARCEL “BUDDY” (1921–2010)
He began playing the saxophone at the age of 12, but he learned to play other woodwind instruments and is most known for his flute playing. Collette toured with several big bands during the early 1940s and led a dance band while serving in the navy during World War II. After he was discharged from the navy, he played with several more bands, including the Stars of Swing and Benny Carter. He also worked and recorded with Charles Mingus, of whom he was an early teacher. Collette came to prominence in 1955–1956 for his flute playing with Chico Hamilton’s quintet. Afterward he went on to record under his own name and also with Red Callender, Louie Bellson, and many others. During the 1960s Collette turned to writing and film scoring, which he continued throughout the 1970s and 1980s, interspersed with appearances with Thelonious Monk (1964) and Benny Carter (1978). Collette also founded the record company Legend in 1973. Known also as a teacher, in 1994 he released A Jazz Audio Biography, and in 2000 he published his autobiography, Jazz Generations: A Life in American Music and Society.
COLLIER, (JAMES) GRAHAM (1937–2011)
English bassist, trumpet player, and composer. Graham Collier started playing in an army band in 1954, and in 1961 he attended the Berklee School of Music where he was the first British student to graduate. After a brief stint as the bassist in the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra in 1963, Collier moved to England and formed his own band. The band, Graham Collier Music, performed Collier’s own music and contained notable British jazz musicians, including Kenny Wheeler and Mike Gibbs, among others. Collier would continue to lead his own bands throughout the 1980s and also formed his own record label, Mosaic (a different label from the American company). Collier was awarded the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 1987, and he continued to write music for television, film, the stage, and radio.
COLORADO JAZZ PARTY
An annual jazz festival and series of jam sessions held in Colorado from 1963 to 1993. Presented by Dick Gibson, the event featured world-class musicians performing together in various combinations. It was also known as the Gibson Jazz Party.
COLTRANE, ALICE (1937–2007)
A pianist, Alice Coltrane studied jazz with Bud Powell in Paris in 1959. While on tour with Terry Gibbs from 1962 to 1963 she met John Coltrane, whom