Charles Tolliver | |
|---|---|
 Charles Tolliver at The Town Hall in 2009 | |
| Background information | |
| Born | 1942 (age 81–82) Jacksonville, Florida, US |
| Origin | New York City |
| Genres | Jazz |
| Occupation(s) | Musician |
| Instrument(s) | Trumpet |
| Years active | 1960s–present |
| Labels | Strata-East |
| Website | charlestolliver |
Charles Tolliver (born 1942) is an American jazz trumpeter, composer, and co-founder of Strata East Records.
Tolliver was born in Jacksonville, Florida, in 1942 and moved with his family to New York City when he was 10.[1] During his childhood, his grandmother gave him his first horn, a cornet he had coveted.[2] Tolliver attended Howard University in the early 1960s as a pharmacy major, when he decided to pursue music as a career and return home 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, and Tolliver released many albums and collaborations on Strata-East.[3] Following a long hiatus, he reemerged in the late 2000s, releasing two albums arranged for big band, With Love and Emperor March. With Love was nominated in 2007 for a Grammy award for Best Large Jazz Ensemble.[4]
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...."[5]
With Roy Ayers
With Gary Bartz
With The Brass Company
With Doug Carn
With Michael Cooper
With Booker Ervin
With John Gordon
With Keyon Harrold
With Louis Hayes
With Andrew Hill
With Jackie McLean
With Oliver Nelson
With The Reunion Legacy Band
With Max Roach
With Horace Silver
With McCoy Tyner
With Gerald Wilson
Source:[6]
