Home » Jazz Musicians » Steve Swell

Steve Swell

Born in Newark, NJ, Steve Swell has been an active member of the NYC music community since 1975. He has toured and recorded with many artists from mainstreamers such as Lionel Hampton and Buddy Rich to so called outsiders as Anthony Braxton, Bill Dixon, Cecil Taylor and William Parker. He has over 30 CDs as a leader or co-leader and is a featured artists on more than 100 other releases. He runs workshops around the world and is a teaching artist in the NYC public school system focusing on special needs children.

Steve was nominated for Trombonist of the Year 2008, 2011 & 2022 by the Jazz Journalists Association, was selected Trombonist of the Year 2008-2010, 2012, 2014-2021 & 2023 by the magazine El Intruso of Argentina and received the 2008 Jubilation Foundation Fellowship Award of the Tides Foundation. The Downbeat Critics Poll selected him for the Trombone category in 2010-2018 & 2020-2023.

Swell first came to public attention performing with Makanda Ken McIntyre inthe multi-instrumentalist's concert at Carnegie Recital Hall in 1985 of which HerbBoyd of The Amsterdam News wrote, "Swell possess(es) a forceful, but maturesound...with a vibrant syncopation..." Swell came to international attention whiletouring in Europe and recording with altoist Tim Berne and his group "Caos Totale."There are two studio recordings of this band on the JMT label. During this time Stevealso toured and recorded with Joey Baron's "Barondown" who released three CDs; onefor JMT, New World and Avant.

Even though he is identified with the "downtown scene," Swell has beendeveloping his style in the more so-called "traditional avant-garde" arena. Co-leadingprojects such as "Space, Time, Swing" with Perry Robinson, being a sideman inWilliam Parker's "Little Huey Creative Music Orchestra" and working with other similarpeople has kept him on this circuit. Dave McElfresh of Jazz Now wrote in a review ofdrummer Lou Grassi's CD, PoGressions, "Swell's powerful trombone zooms in and outof the music like a plane diving at a target. Players like himself - and music like this- are to be thanked for the revival of interest in the instrument."

Swell's newest CD, "Swimming in a Galaxy of Goodwill and Sorrow" featuring JemeelMoondoc, William Parker and Hamid Drake, was releasedon the RogueArt label in May 2007. Slammin' The Infinte's new release "Live at the Vision Festival" withSabir Mateen, Matt Heyner, Klaus Kugel and featuring John Blum is also now available. Swell was afeatured soloist in Anthony Braxton's opera, "Shala Fears For The Poor," performed at John Jay Collegein NYC.

Tiziano Tononi, Emanuele Parrini: Other Interactions... On July 5th

Read "Other Interactions... On July 5th" reviewed by Neri Pollastri

by Neri Pollastri
November 25, 2024

Non sbagliano un colpo Emanuele Parrini e Tiziano Tononi: forti di mille collaborazioni, dopo The Many Moods of Interaction, il loro lavoro in duo di un paio di anni orsono, adesso allargano le interazioni e la formazione, accogliendo il contrabbasso di Andrea Grossi, il sax soprano di Roberto Ottaviano e il trombone di Steve Swell, regalandoci un'altra bella ora di musica. E sì che questa volta sembrava che le cose non si fossero messe per il meglio, quel ...

Album Review

Steve Swell, Matthew Shipp: Space Cube Jazz

Read "Space Cube Jazz" reviewed by Alberto Bazzurro

by Alberto Bazzurro
October 22, 2024

Una bella verve e doti di reciproco ascolto e comprensione-interazione danno fiato a questo lavoro in duo da parte di una coppia di musicisti, del resto, sempre molto attenti a non rimanere intrappolati nelle sabbie mobili dell'ovvio e del “tanto per..." La loro musica sa essere infatti sempre lucida, concentrata sul dettaglio quanto sugli equilibri complessivi dei “messaggi nella bottiglia" che intendono lasciare dietro di loro, anche--anzi ancor più--in un album in duo, più carico di responsabilità nel momento in ...

Album Review

William Parker, Ellen Christi: Cereal Music

Read "Cereal Music" reviewed by Alberto Bazzurro

by Alberto Bazzurro
October 1, 2024

William Parker ci ha regalato nel corso degli anni (in particolare da quando la sua stella, ormai intorno ai cinquanta, ha iniziato a brillare di luce particolarmente marcata) opere importantissime, a suo solo nome o in collaborazione con altri. Ciò precisato per chiarire subito che questo suo nuovo lavoro non appartiene a tale schiera. Vi trova posto una narrazione spesso farraginosa che ripercorre la vita del bassista, con intromissioni--per lo più salvifiche--da parte di Ellen Christi, cofirmataria dell'opera, e altri ...

Album Review

Joëlle Léandre: Lifetime Rebel

Read "Lifetime Rebel" reviewed by Mark Corroto

by Mark Corroto
September 25, 2024

Joëlle Léandre is the definition of a force of nature. She is unstoppable, unforgettable, and full of boundless energy. It is the nature of her force that recordings like Lifetime Rebel attempt to capture. These four CDs--plus an interview and solo performance DVD--capture a moment, but just a moment of her inexhaustible spirit, before she moves on. Recorded in 2023, Léandre was honored with a lifetime achievement award during New York's Vision Festival. The performances captured are by diverse and ...

Album Review

Hirsh / Swell / Clouse / Parker: Out On A Limb

Read "Out On A Limb" reviewed by Mark Corroto

by Mark Corroto
September 13, 2024

Can déjà vu be contagious? Or at least a particular quality or disposition that is communicable? This might be the question to ask after sitting down with Out On A Limb by the improvising quartet of Steve Hirsh, Steve Swell, Jim Clouse, and William Parker. The music this unit created spontaneously in April 2024 does not appear from thin air, it is a product of a half-century of innovation and modernism in music. Much of that history has ...

Album Review

Rob Brown Quartet: Oblongata

Read "Oblongata" reviewed by John Sharpe

by John Sharpe
July 28, 2024

Although reedman Rob Brown has a string of small group leadership outings to his name, dating back to his first, Breath Rhyme (Silkheart) in 1990, Oblongata may be one of his finest. The 2022 studio session reunites him with some of his most enduring collaborators, the same crew responsible for From Here To Hear (Rogue Art, 2019), as well as an outstanding appearance at the 2019 Vision Festival, namely trombonist Steve Swell, bassist Chris Lightcap and drummer Chad Taylor.

Album Review

Steve Swell: Dances With Questions

Read "Dances With Questions" reviewed by John Sharpe

by John Sharpe
January 11, 2024

American trombonist Steve Swell plays to the strengths of his talented cast of improvisers on the sprawling multifaceted Dances With Questions, a three-CD box set which documents his three day residency at the 2019 Krakow Jazz Autumn. The center piece is the 70-minute title cut for a dozen musicians, but the album also includes two discs of small group encounters captured in the city's legendary Alchemia club during the previous evenings. Swell, a veteran of the New York ...

Performance / Tour

Jazz this week: Grace Kelly, Steve Swell Quintet, Kevin Eubanks, a benefit for Puerto Rico, and more

Source: St. Louis Jazz Notes by Dean Minderman
October 4, 2017

The fall presenting season is gathering some momentum this week, as the calendar of jazz and creative music for the next few days in St. Louis includes three significant touring headliners- two of whom are making their local debuts- plus a benefit raising money for hurricane relief in Puerto Rico, and more. Let's go to the highlights... Wednesday, October 4 Saxophonist and singer Grace Kelly makes her St. Louis debut in the first of four nights at Jazz at the ...
read more

Video / DVD

StLJN Saturday Video Showcase: Spotlight on Steve Swell

Source: St. Louis Jazz Notes by Dean Minderman
October 1, 2017

This week, let's take a look at some videos featuring trombonist Steve Swell, who will be making his St. Louis debut and kicking off New Music Circle's 2017-18 season with a concert on Saturday, October 7 at at The Stage at KDHX. Swell will be joined by an all-star assemblage of avant-gardists, including pianist Dave Burrell, known for his solo work and as an associate of major free-jazz artists such as Archie Shepp and Pharoah Sanders; alto saxophonist Jemeel Moondoc, ...
read more

Career

APAP JazzConnect Session: Crowdfunding for Jazz Projects @ Hilton New York: January 7

Source: Michael Ricci
January 6, 2012

The Association of Performing Arts Presenters features jazz—its leaders, masters and music—at annual performing arts industry conference in New York City. Topic Crowdfunding for Jazz Projects Where Hilton New York Concourse E New York, NY 212-586-7000 When Sat, January 7, 2012 3-4:30 PM Admission Free About the event Fan-funding platforms such as Kickstarter and IndieGoGo are gaining traction as more jazz artists and organizations ...
read more

133

Interview

Trombonist Steve Swell Interviewed at AAJ

Source: All About Jazz
May 31, 2010

Trombonist Steve Swell captures the energy of a big band in the close quarters of a small group. An alumnus of Buddy Rich's and Lionel Hampton's bands on the one hand, and collaborator with Anthony Braxton on the other, he seems bound to have fixed upon such a hybrid configuration at some point.But how an artist could exhibit such stylistic range and adaptability to begin with, and on top of that reconcile them in a career that has already spanned ...
read more

183

Recording

Steve Swell's Slammin' the Infinite - 5000 Poems (Not Two)

Source: Master of a Small House
March 2, 2010

One of the frequent recent criticisms of free jazz argues that there's just too much of it available on record. Musicians who work within the idiom are accused of placing fecundity above quality control. Trombonist Steve Swell candidly cops to the charge in the brief notes accompanying this fourth release by one of his working bands. Employing a Walt Whitman essay as inspiration, he uses the analogy of sowing many seeds in the hope that at least a fraction will ...
read more

"Remember Now is (Slammin’ The Infinite’s) second release and as good as the first one was, this one is light years beyond that. Every track has something to offer. It’s almost hard to take this disc off once one puts it on. Remember Now makes a good case for Slammin’ the Infinte being one of the most exciting working groups in jazz/improvised music today." -Robert Iannapollo, All About Jazz, NY, September 2006
“...the session opens with a Swell cadenza that features 50 seconds of the most achingly lyrical playing the trombonist has committed to record...This music makes me feel like I’ve been somewhere even though I haven’t left my yard.” —David Dupont, Cadence Magazine, June 2005

Primary Instrument

Trombone

Location

New York City

Credentials/Background

Steve has been a Teaching Artist in NYC public schools for the past 7 years. He has done festival workshops while on tour in the US, Canada and Europe (New England Conservatory, University of Michigan, Tulane University, Hoschule fur Musik, Dresden, Guimares Festival Workshop, etc.) Full teaching bio availabe at www.steveswell.com.
Rates—$100 per hour (negotiable)