Charles Tolliver
From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia
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Charles Tolliver (born March 6, 1942) is an American jazz trumpeter and composer.
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Biography
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, Tolliver 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...."
Discography
As leader
- 1968: Paper Man (Freedom) also released as Charles Tolliver and His All Stars (Black Lion)
- 1969: The Ringer (Freedom)
- 1970: Live at Slugs' (Strata-East)
- 1971: Music Inc. (Strata-East)
- 1972: Impact (Enja)
- 1972: Live at the Loosdrecht Jazz Festival (Strata-East), also released as Grand Max (Black Lion)
- 1973: Live in Tokyo (Strata-East)
- 1975: Impact (Strata-East)
- 1977: Compassion (Strata-East) also released as New Tolliver (Baystate)
- 1988: Live in Berlin at the Quasimodo (Strata-East),
- 2007: With Love (Blue Note)
- 2009: Emperor March: Live at the Blue Note (Half Note)
As a sideman
With Roy Ayers
- Virgo Vibes (Atlantic, 1967)
- Stoned Soul Picnic (Atlantic, 1968)
With Gary Bartz
- Another Earth (Milestone, 1969)
With Booker Ervin
- Structurally Sound (Pacific Jazz, 1966)
- Booker 'n' Brass (Pacific Jazz, 1967)
With Andrew Hill
- One for One (Blue Note, 1965, 1969, 1970 [1975])
- Dance with Death (Blue Note, 1968 [1980])
- Time Lines (Blue Note, 2006)
With Jackie McLean
- It's Time! (Blue Note, 1964)
- Action Action Action (Blue Note, 1964)
- Jacknife (Blue Note, 1965)
With Max Roach
- Members, Don't Git Weary (Atlantic, 1968)
With Horace Silver
- Serenade to a Soul Sister (Blue Note, 1968)
With McCoy Tyner
- Song for My Lady (Milestone, 1972)
