Steve Swell
Often associated with the New York downtown scene, Steve Swell is an underrated trombonist and a true team player capable of adapting to most situations. He incidentally picked up the trombone when he was ten. In 1973, he studied at Jersey City State College where he struck a long-lasting friendship with drummer Lou Grassi. He went on to study with Roswell Rudd who, alongside Grachan Moncur III and Bill Watrous, made the strongest impression on him. Swell then moved up through the ranks learning the ropes with Lionel Hampton, Buddy Rich, and Jaki Byard. In the early ‘80s, he spent a lot of time playing Broadway shows and at the Roseland. In the mid-'80s, he met Ken McIntyre and Walter Thompson, who reignited his interest in creative music. As for Herb Robertson and Hank Roberts, they gave him a first taste of Europe. In the early ‘90s, he gained some more exposure with Tim Berne's band as well as Joey Baron's Barondown and Phillip Johnston's Big Trouble. Continuing to enrich his experience as a sideman he later became a member of The Little Huey Creative Music Orchestra, Lou Grassi's PoBand, and Jemeel Moondoc's Jus Grew Orchestra. In 1996, he recorded his first album under his own name with saxophonist Chris Kelsey, Observations. He then took part in several cooperative bands, which include the Implicate Order, the Transcendentalists, and the Particle Data Group, and led various incarnations of his quartet and trio. Through the years, Swell has developed a special kinship with Ken Filiano and Lou Grassi, with whom he has shared a number of activities. In 2002, he started a new trio that included bassist Tom Abbs and drummer Geoff Mann. The following year saw the release of the first recording by his Unified Theory of Sound project featuring Jemeel Moondoc, Cooper-Moore, Wilber Morris, Kevin Norton, and Matt LaVelle.
© Alain Drouot /TiVo
Discography
16 album(s) • Sorted by Bestseller
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Sometimes The Air Is
Steve Swell, Joe McPhee, Chris Corsano
Jazz - Released by Mahakala Music on 24 Feb 2023
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Joey Baron - Raised Pleasure Dot
Joey Baron, Ellery Eskelin, Steve Swell
Jazz - Released by New World Records on 1 Jan 1993
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
quartets/duos/trios
Borah Bergman, Perry Robinson, Steve Swell, Ray Sage
Jazz - Released by Mahakala Music on 2 Oct 2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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For Rhina P. Espaillat
Free Jazz & Avant-Garde - Released by Relative Pitch Records on 7 Jul 2023
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Hommage À Bartòk
Jazz - Released by Silkheart Records on 12 Jul 2018
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Music for Six Musicians: Hommage À Olivier Messiaen
Jazz - Released by Silkheart Records on 12 Jul 2018
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Live in Tel Aviv (Live)
Peter Brotzmann, Steve Swell, Paal Nilssen-Love
Classical - Released by NotTwo on 12 Jul 2019
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Krakow Nights
Peter Brotzmann, Steve Swell, Paal Nilssen-Love
Classical - Released by NotTwo on 1 Jan 2016
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Bop Stop
Frode Gjerstad Trio, Steve Swell
Jazz - Released by Clean Feed on 16 Mar 2018
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Live in Copenhagen (Live)
Peter Brotzmann, Steve Swell, Paal Nilssen-Love
Classical - Released by NotTwo on 12 Jul 2019
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
5000 Poems
Steve Swell, Slammin' The Infinite
Jazz - Released by NotTwo on 15 Feb 2010
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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Live at the Stone: Megaloprepus Caerulatus (Live)
Classical - Released by NotTwo on 1 Oct 2016
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Kanreki: Reflection & Renewal
Classical - Released by NotTwo on 1 Nov 2015
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo