Adegoke Steve Colson
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Adegoke Steve Colson is an American jazz pianist, composer, and educator. A member of the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM) since the early 1970s, Colson has performed and recorded with musicians including Joseph Jarman, Reggie Workman, David Murray, Henry Threadgill, Malachi Favors, Kahil El'Zabar, among many others. His work incorporates themes of African American identity and social consciousness, and has been reviewed in publications such as The New York Times, JazzTimes, All About Jazz, and The New York City Jazz Record.
Early life and education
[edit | edit source]Colson was born in Newark, New Jersey, and raised in East Orange, where he graduated from East Orange High School. He studied piano at Northwestern University's School of Music beginning in 1967 and also studied alto saxophone with Fred Hemke. He earned a Bachelor of Music Education (BME) in 1971.[1]
During his time at Northwestern, Colson participated in the 1968 Bursar's Office Takeover, a peaceful protest organized by Black students calling for greater racial equity. This experience influenced themes in his later compositional work.[2]
While at Northwestern, he met drummer Steve McCall, a founding member of the AACM. McCall encouraged Colson to explore experimental jazz and introduced him to the Chicago-based collective. While earning his degree, Colson became increasingly connected with the AACM's Chicago and New York circles. Colson officially joined the AACM in 1972, shortly after graduation.[3] Colson's experiences are noted in George E. Lewis's A Power Stronger Than Itself: The AACM and American Experimental Music (2008, p. 65),[4] where he is referenced alongside his spouse, vocalist, composer and educator Iqua Colson, as part of the AACM's second generation[5][6]
Career
[edit | edit source]Colson's early recordings were with The Unity Troupe, a group he founded in the 1970s. Their debut album, Triumph!, was released in 1979 and followed by No Reservation in 1980 on the Black Saint label.[7] These albums established Colson's approach to composition, blending improvisation with formal structure.
A 1983 New York Times review of a performance by The Unity Troupe at Soundscape described the ensemble's "exploratory yet rooted" sound and highlighted Colson's leadership.[8]
Colson has collaborated with numerous members of the AACM and other musicians, including Kalaparusha Maurice McIntyre, Ed Blackwell, Oliver Lake, Malachi Favors, and Andrew Cyrille. He also worked with poet and activist Amiri Baraka, composing music for several of Baraka's theatrical works.[9]
In 2004, Colson and his wife, Iqua Colson, released Hope for Love, followed in 2009 by The Untarnished Dream, which was praised by JazzTimes.[10]
His solo double album, Tones For (2015), was reviewed in All About Jazz and Hothouse Magazine, with critics noting its exploration of African American heritage and spiritual themes.[11][12] Jazziz said the album was a "brilliant journey through varied styles and emotions".[13]
In 2021, he premiered Incandescence, a six-part suite commissioned by the AACM and the American Composers Forum.[14] The performance was named one of the "Top 10 moments in classical music, opera and jazz that defined 2021" by the Chicago Tribune.[15] In 2022, his piece Suite Harlem was performed at the Harlem School of the Arts' Train Festival, and reviewed in The New York Times.[16]
His 2023 premiere of Mirrors at Merkin Hall was co-presented by the Kaufman Music Center and the International Contemporary Ensemble.[17]
In 2025, he released Glow: Music for Trio...Add Voice, featuring Iqua Colson, Andrew Cyrille, and Mark Helias. A profile in The New York City Jazz Record described Colson as "an authentic purveyor of detail and form" with "enormous harmonic sophistication."[18]
Other work
[edit | edit source]Colson has composed music for theatrical productions including Adventures of a Black Girl in Search of God by Djanet Sears and The Life and Life of Bumpy Johnson by Amiri Baraka and Max Roach. His multimedia work, Greens, Rice, and a Rope, premiered at Newark Symphony Hall in 1989, after which the City of Newark declared "Adegoke Steve Colson Day."[19]
He has taught at Bloomfield College and Montclair State University and participated in the NEA's Jazz Artists in the Schools program.[20]
Personal life and legacy
[edit | edit source]Colson is married to Iqua Colson, a composer and educator. The couple met in Chicago during their early involvement with the AACM and have often collaborated musically. They have worked in educational settings across the U.S. and internationally.[21]
The Iqua Colson and Adegoke Steve Colson Collection is housed at the Northwestern University Music Library and includes scores, recordings, correspondence, and ephemera.[22] In 2018, he was inducted into the East Orange Hall of Fame and was named a Steinway Artist in 2021.[23][24]
Awards
[edit | edit source]- 2017 Commission Here Is the Place, Our City, in honor of Newark's 350th anniversary[25]
- Jazz Road Creative Residencies Grant Recipient[26]
- 2022 Fromm Music Foundation Commission Recipient[27]
Discography
[edit | edit source]Studio albums
[edit | edit source]| Year | Title | Label | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1979 | Triumph! | Silver Sphinx Records | Debut – reissued 2011 CD/LP via Universal Sound/Soul Jazz |
| 1980 | No Reservation | Black Saint | The Unity Troupe studio album |
| 1990 | Hope for Love | Silver Sphinx Records | Duo with Iqua Colson |
| 2006 | The Untarnished Dream | Silver Sphinx Records | Quartet recording with Iqua Colson, Reggie Workman, Andrew Cyrille |
| 2015 | Tones For | Silver Sphinx Records | Solo double album; explored spiritual themes |
| 2025 | Glow: Music for Trio... Add Voice | Silver Sphinx Records | Features Iqua Colson, Andrew Cyrille, Mark Helias |
The Colson Unity Troupe
[edit | edit source]| Year | Title | Label | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1979 | Triumph! | Silver Sphinx Records | Group founded by Colson; features Joseph Jarman, Doug Ewart |
| 1980 | No Reservation | Black Saint | Spoken‑word/jazz collective project |
Collaborations & guest appearances
[edit | edit source]| With | Title | Label | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| David Murray Octet | New Life | Black Saint | Member of octet featuring Colson |
| Andrew Cyrille Quintet | My Friend Louis | DIW | Trio member |
| Andrew Cyrille Quintet | African Love Supreme / Ode to the Living Tree | Venus Jazz/Evidence | Quartet appearance |
| Baikida Carroll Quintet | Door of the Cage | Soul Note | As pianist |
| Baikida Carroll Quintet | Marionettes on a High Wire | OmniTone | With Colson's piano |
| Butch Morris Ensemble | Conduction Collection #25, 26 | New World/Cross Currents | Conduction conductor/composer |
| Kahil El'Zabar, Joseph Jarman, Malachi Favors, Kalaparusha McIntyre | Bright Moments: Return of the Lost Tribe | Delmark | Includes Colson's leadership & composition |
| Kevin Cook Quintet | Music for My Love Ones | Artistic Soundz | Featured pianist |
Compositions featured by other artists
[edit | edit source]- Andrew Cyrille Quartet – The News (ECM, 2021) – features Colson compositions
- Trio Three featuring Oliver Lake, Reggie Workman, Andrew Cyrille – Encounter (Passin' Thru, 2012) – Colson composition featured
- New York Unit – Now's The Time (King, 19xx) – includes Colson writing
- Hannibal Marvin Peterson – One with the Wind (Muse, 19xx) – features Colson material
References
[edit | edit source]- ^ Northwestern University Alumni Records, 1971.
- ^ Northwestern Archives, Bursar's Office Takeover materials, 1968.
- ^ Lewis, George E., A Power Stronger Than Itself: The AACM and American Experimental Music, University of Chicago Press, 2008.
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- ^ Black Saint Records Catalogue, 1980.
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- ^ Amiri Baraka Papers, Columbia University Archives.
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- ^ Hothouse Magazine, Review of Tones For, 2015.
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- ^ American Composers Forum, Program Notes, 2021.
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- ^ Kaufman Music Center Program, Mirrors at Merkin Hall, 2023.
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- ^ City of Newark Proclamation, Adegoke Steve Colson Day, 1989.
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- ^ Interview with Iqua Colson, 2023.
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- ^ East Orange Hall of Fame Inductees, 2018.
- ^ Steinway & Sons Artist Registry, 2021.
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