Steve Coleman (born 1956, Chicago) is an American alto saxophonist, composer, and improviser whose career began in Chicago’s R&B and funk bands before he moved to New York in 1978, where he worked in the big bands of Thad Jones and Mel Lewis and of Sam Rivers. He founded the collective and musical philosophy M-Base in the early 1980s, and launched his principal group, Steve Coleman and Five Elements, in 1981; the group remains active. His debut album, Motherland Pulse (1985), was followed by On the Edge of Tomorrow (1986) and World Expansion (1987) on JMT Records. Later releases, including the 1992 Anatomy of a Groove, the 1996 The Sign and the Seal, 2001 Resistance Is Futile, and 2007 Invisible Paths, came as several members of his groups, among them Vijay Iyer, Marcus Gilmore, and Miles Okazaki, went on to become recognized musicians. In 2015 he released Synovial Joints with a 21-musician chamber ensemble, receiving “album of the year” honors from The New York Times, and in 2018 Live at the Village Vanguard, Vol. 1 earned the Académie Charles-Cros Coup de cœur Jazz et Blues. His influence on many musicians is notable, and his music draws on traditions from around the world.
