Steve Swell (born in Newark, New Jersey, December 6, 1954) is an American free jazz trombonist, composer, and educator.
Music career
Swell studied at Jersey City State Teachers College before moving to New York City in 1975 where he began his musical life, playing in top 40 bands, salsa bands, big bands (most notably those of Buddy Rich and Lionel Hampton) and performed on Broadway in Bob Fosse's Dancin' . He then became a member of Makanda Ken McIntyre's band which led to tours and recordings with Tim Berne, Joey Baron, Herb Robertson, Jemeel Moondoc, Anthony Braxton, Cecil Taylor, William Parker, Bill Dixon, Butch Morris, John Zorn, Dave Burrell, Elliott Sharp, Rob Mazurek, Perry Robinson, Ken Vandermark.
He is greatly influenced by Roswell Rudd, with whom he studied in the mid-1970s. He was also a student of Grachan Moncur III and Jimmy Knepper.
Swell has led a number of projects, including Slammin' the Infinite (w/Sabir Mateen, Matthew Heyner, Klaus Kugel), Fire Into Music (with William Parker, Jemeel Moondoc, Hamid Drake), Unified Theory of Sound (with Cooper-Moore, Matt Lavelle) and his large ensemble Nation of We (aka NOW Ensemble).
Swell has received a number of awards including a USArts International (NEA) travel grant in 2006, grants from MCAF (LMCC) in 2008 & 2012, Foundation for Contemporary Arts and was nominated for Trombonist of Year, 2008, 2011 & 2020 by the Jazz Journalists Association. He was chosen Trombonist of the Year 2008-2010, 2012 & 2014-2021 by El Intruso, the Argentine jazz journal. In 2008 he received a fellowship award from The Jubilation Foundation of the Tides Foundation for his work in the New York City public school system and was selected by the Down Beat Critics Poll in the Trombone category 2010-2022. He also received the 2014 Creative Curricula grant from the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council. Steve earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Music from SUNY in 2016.
Discography
As leader or co-leader
Observations (CIMP, 1996) - Steve Swell & Chris Kelsey Duo
Out and About (CIMP, 1996) - Steve Swell Quartet featuring Roswell Rudd w/Ken Filiano, Lou Grassi Moons of Jupiter (CIMP, 1997) - Steve Swell Quartet w/Mark Whitecage, Dominic Duval, Jay Rosen Atmospheels (CIMP, 1999) - Steve Swell Trio w/Will Connell, Lou Grassi Flurries Warm and Clear (CIMP, 1999) - Steve Swell Trio w/Ned Rothenberg, Tomas Ulrich Steve Swell presents Particle Data Group (Cadence, 2001) The Implicate Order at Seixal (Clean Feed, 2001) - Steve Swell, Ken Filiano, Lou Grassi + Rodrigo Amado, Paulo Curado Poets of the Now (CIMP, 2002) Unified Theory Of Sound: This Now! - (Cadence Jazz, 2003) - Steve Swell, Jemeel Moondoc, Cooper-Moore, Wilber Morris, Kevin Norton, Matt LaVelle New York BrassWood Trio: Still in Movement (CIMP, 2003) Suite for Players, Listeners and Other Dreamers (CIMP, 2003) - Steve Swell, Roy Campbell, Charles Burnham, Will Connell, Kevin Norton, Francois Grillot Invisible Cities (Drimala, 2004) - Steve Swell/Perry Robinson Duo Not Just... (CIMP, 2005) - Steve Swell/Dave Taylor Quintet Billy Bang, Tomas Ulrich, Ken Filiano Double Dipoid (CIMP, 2006) - Steve Swell/Dave Taylor Quartet w/Warren Smith, Chad Taylor Swimming in a Galaxy of Goodwill and Sorrow (RogueArt, 2007)- Steve Swell's Fire Into Music w/Jemeel Moondoc, William Parker, Hamid Drake Rivers of Sound Ensemble: News from the Mystic Auricle (Not Two, 2008) - Steve Swell, Roy Campbell, Sabir Mateen, Hilliard "Hill" Greene, Klaus Kugel Magical Listening Hour (Cadence Jazz, 2009) - Steve Swell/Nate Wooley/Michael Attias/Louie Belogenis Planet Dream (Clean Feed, 2009) - Steve Swell, Rob Brown, Daniel Levin Feynman's Diagrams (Nacht, 2013)- Steve Swell/Kirk Knuffke Duo Kanreki (Not Two, 2015) Kende Dreams (Silkheart, 2015) Soul Travelers (RogueArt, 2016) Music for Six Musicians: Hommage À Olivier Messiaen (Silkheart, 2017)
with Slammin' the Infinite
Slammin' the Infinite (Cadence Jazz, 2004)- Steve Swell, Sabir Mateen, Matt Heyner, Klaus Kugel Remember Now (NotTwo, 2006) - Steve Swell, Sabir Mateen, Matt Heyner, Klaus Kugel Live @ the Vision Festival (NotTwo, 2007) - Steve Swell, Sabir Mateen, Matt Heyner, Klaus Kugel, John Blum 5000 Poems (NotTwo, 2010) - Steve Swell, Sabir Mateen, Matt Heyner, Klaus Kugel, John Blum
with Ullmann/Swell 4
Desert Songs and Other Landscapes (CIMP, 2004) - Barry Altschul, Hill Greene
News? No News! (Jazzwerskstatt, 2010)- Barry Altschul, Hill Greene
Live in Montreal (CIMP, 2010)- Barry Altschul, Hill Greene
with Nation of We
Live at the Bowery Poetry Club (Ayler, 2006) The Business of Here (Cadence Jazz, 2012)