George Coleman, saxophonist, 90. New York, NY. Legendary soloist and bridge between jazz generations ///// Asked how he approaches melody and improvisation, saxophone great George Coleman has said, “Ever since the blues days, I’m always reaching, I want to be different… I hope to be able to tell a complete story that our fans will enjoy.” Born and raised in Memphis, he grew up alongside future collaborators like pianist Harold Mabern and trumpeter Booker Little. As a teenager, he heard Charlie Parker and taught himself how to play the alto saxophone. In 1952, at 17, he was hired by B.B. King and switched to tenor. In 1956, Coleman moved to Chicago where he played with Gene Ammons, Johnny Griffin, and later joined Walter Perkins' group MJT+3. In 1958, he attracted the attention of drummer Max Roach and was offered a position in his band, requiring Coleman to relocate to New York City. In New York City he first roomed with Roach group bandmate and trumpet great Kenny Dorham. After Dorham left the group Coleman’s best friend and fellow Memphian, Booker Little joined the group along with Nelson Boyd on bass. He later joined Slide Hampton’s octet, which allowed him tour Europe for the first time and hone his skills for composition and arranging. Seven years later, Miles Davis invited him to join the first iteration of his Second Great Quintet. In that time, he appeared on several albums and Herbie Hancock’s classic Maiden Voyage. As Coleman has pointed out, it was John Coltrane who recommended him for the job. “I sat in and played with Miles, and I guess evidently I had made some kind of an impression on him,” he has said. In subsequent years, Coleman freelanced as a composer and arranger and began forming different iterations of his own groups, even adding in soprano sax. Coleman has long championed jazz education, teaching masterclasses and workshops at universities nationwide. “When somebody wants to get some knowledge from me, I try to give them that,” he has said. He has garnered numerous honors, including an induction into the inaugural class of the Memphis Music Hall of Fame in 2012 and was named an NEA Jazz Master in 2015 and in 2025 he became Jazz Foundation of America and Mellon Foundation Jazz Legacies Fellowship awardee 2025. In 2019 Coleman was subject of a feature length documentary called, “Another Kind of Soul: The Coleman Family Legacy”, along with his first wife, Gloria Coleman. The film was conceived and produced by his son and drummer, George Coleman Jr in honor of his parents contributions to their family and the world through their wisdom and music. On March 8th, 2025, Coleman celebrated his 90th birthday, a blessed milestone in his life. A few days later he played to sold out audiences at Dizzy’s Jazz Club / Jazz at Lincoln Center and received several standing ovations. He’s experiencing a genuine renaissance, with four new recording projects and a busy year ahead, full of performances and teaching. Looking back at his long and fruitful career, Coleman has said he feels satisfied: “I feel like my contributions, from records, teaching experiences with various people I've taught through the years that have gone on to become really great players — that's enough gratification.”