As well as being a great music educator, Steve Colson is one of the most versatile jazz pianists of the last forty years, with a grasp of idioms ranging from swing to free, and from European romanticism to new music. What's more, he is a master of compression, incorporating these sources into solos and compositions with the balance of a fine blended coffee.
Colson has never been one to trumpet his own achievements, nor is he given to self-promotion. From his efforts as a student reformer at Northwestern in the late 1960s, to his work revitalizing and commemorating the culture of his native Newark, NJ, he has ever been all about community and communing.
AAJ Contributor Gordon Marshall spoke with Colison about his latest release, The Untarnished Dream (Silver Sphinx, 2010), his role in the furtherance of African-American studies, and bridging the gap from Berio to Mingus.
Check out Steve Colson: Doing Jazz Justice at AAJ today!
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