Charles Tolliver | |
---|---|
Charles Tolliver at the Town Hall in 2009
|
|
Background information | |
Born |
Jacksonville, Florida, US |
March 6, 1942
Origin | New York City |
Genres | Jazz |
Occupation(s) | Musician |
Instruments | Trumpet |
Years active | 1960s–present |
Labels | Strata-East |
Website | charlestolliver |
Charles Tolliver (born March 6, 1942) 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, 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...."
With Roy Ayers
With Gary Bartz
With Booker Ervin
With Andrew Hill
With Jackie McLean
With Oliver Nelson