The George Coleman Octet this weekend – live from The Village Gate on April 28, 1975.
2025 marks George Coleman’s 90th year – and what else do you do when you turn 90? You keep gigging and recording. This gig puts George Coleman in his 40th year and it was a celebration then too. On this day he’s joined by Harold Vick on tenor Sax, Monty Walters on Alto Sax – Mario Rivera on baritone sax – Danny Moore on trumpet – Harold Mabern on Piano – Lisle Atkinson on bass and Eddie Moore on Drums – all from the stage at The Village Gate in New York on April 28th 1975.
After working with Ray Charles, George Coleman started working with B.B. King in 1953, at which point he switched to tenor saxophone when King needed a tenor player in his band, even buying a tenor saxophone for Coleman. In 1956 Coleman moved to Chicago, along with Booker Little, where he worked with Gene Ammons and Johnny Griffin before joining Max Roach’s quintet (1958–1959). Coleman recorded with organist Jimmy Smith on his album House Party (1957), along with Lee Morgan, Curtis Fuller, Kenny Burrell, and Donald Bailey. Moving to New York City with Max Roach in that year, he went on to play with Slide Hampton (1959–1962), Ron Carter, Jimmy Cobb, and Wild Bill Davis (1962), before joining Miles Davis’ quintet in 1963–1964.
His albums with Davis (and the rhythm section of Herbie Hancock (piano), Ron Carter (bass), and Tony Williams (drums)) are Seven Steps to Heaven (1963), A Rare Home Town Appearance (1963), Côte Blues (1963), In Europe (1963), My Funny Valentine, and Four & More, both live recordings of a concert in Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in New York City in February 1964. Shortly after this concert, Coleman left the band and was replaced by Wayne Shorter. Nevertheless, Davis retained a high opinion of Coleman’s playing, stating that “George played everything almost perfectly…He was a hell of a musician.” Coleman played with Lionel Hampton (1965–1966), also in 1965 on Chet Baker’s The Prestige Sessions, with Kirk Lightsey, Herman Wright, and Roy Brooks. Clark Terry, Horace Silver, Elvin Jones (1968), Shirley Scott (1972), Cedar Walton (1975), Charles Mingus (1977–1978), Ahmad Jamal (1994, 2000), and many others.
Coleman also appeared in the science-fiction film Freejack (1992), starring Emilio Estevez, Mick Jagger, and Anthony Hopkins; and 1996’s The Preacher’s Wife, with Denzel Washington and Whitney Houston.
Coleman recorded into the 2020’s. His CD as co-leader, Four Generations of Miles: A Live Tribute To Miles, with bassist Ron Carter, drummer Jimmy Cobb and guitarist Mike Stern was released on Chesky Records in October 2002, and it concentrates on the 1960s working repertoire of Miles Davis. Tracks include: “There Is No Greater Love”, “All Blues”, “On Green Dolphin Street”, “Blue in Green”, “81”, “Freddie Freeloader”, “My Funny Valentine”, “If I Were a Bell”, and “Oleo”. He was featured on Joey DeFrancesco’s 2006 release Organic Vibes, along with vibraphonist Bobby Hutcherson, Billboard’s Top Jazz Album Chart, peaked to No. 17.
He was named an NEA Jazz Master and to the Memphis Music Hall of Fame in 2015, and received a brass note on the Beale Street Brass Notes Walk of Fame.
A rather cool resumé, wouldn’t you say?
Relax and dial back to 1975 and put the weekend on hold.
