George Coleman

George Coleman is a tenor saxophonist whose sound, rooted in his native Memphis, became one of the defining voices of post-bop jazz. Born in 1935, he came up alongside schoolmates Harold Mabern, Booker Little, Frank Strozier and Charles Lloyd, and switched from alto to tenor saxophone while working in B.B. King's band in the early 1950s. He recorded with Max Roach's quintet in 1958 and 1959 before joining Miles Davis's group in 1963, appearing on Seven Steps to Heaven, My Funny Valentine, Four & More and Miles Davis in Europe, and in 1965 he played on Herbie Hancock's Maiden Voyage. Since 1974 he has led his own quartets, quintets and octets, and he has taught at Mannes College, Long Island University and New York University. In 2015 he was named an NEA Jazz Master.