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 .

Contents

Early life and education

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

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

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

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

Discography

Studio albums

YearTitleLabelNotes
1979Triumph!Silver Sphinx RecordsDebut – reissued 2011 CD/LP via Universal Sound/Soul Jazz
1980No ReservationBlack SaintThe Unity Troupe studio album
1990Hope for LoveSilver Sphinx RecordsDuo with Iqua Colson
2006The Untarnished DreamSilver Sphinx RecordsQuartet recording with Iqua Colson, Reggie Workman, Andrew Cyrille
2015Tones ForSilver Sphinx RecordsSolo double album; explored spiritual themes
2025Glow: Music for Trio... Add VoiceSilver Sphinx RecordsFeatures Iqua Colson, Andrew Cyrille, Mark Helias

The Colson Unity Troupe

YearTitleLabelNotes
1979Triumph!Silver Sphinx RecordsGroup founded by Colson; features Joseph Jarman, Doug Ewart
1980No ReservationBlack SaintSpoken‑word/jazz collective project

Collaborations & guest appearances

WithTitleLabelNotes
David Murray OctetNew LifeBlack SaintMember of octet featuring Colson
Andrew Cyrille QuintetMy Friend LouisDIWTrio member
Andrew Cyrille QuintetAfrican Love Supreme / Ode to the Living TreeVenus Jazz/EvidenceQuartet appearance
Baikida Carroll QuintetDoor of the CageSoul NoteAs pianist
Baikida Carroll QuintetMarionettes on a High WireOmniToneWith Colson's piano
Butch Morris EnsembleConduction Collection #25, 26New World/Cross CurrentsConduction conductor/composer
Kahil El'Zabar, Joseph Jarman, Malachi Favors, Kalaparusha McIntyreBright Moments: Return of the Lost TribeDelmarkIncludes Colson's leadership & composition
Kevin Cook QuintetMusic for My Love OnesArtistic SoundzFeatured pianist

References

  1. ↑ Northwestern University Alumni Records, 1971.
  2. ↑ Northwestern Archives, Bursar's Office Takeover materials, 1968.
  3. ↑ Lewis, George E., A Power Stronger Than Itself: The AACM and American Experimental Music, University of Chicago Press, 2008.
  4. ↑ Lewis, George E. (2009). A Power Stronger Than Itself: The AACM and American Experimental Music. The University of Chicago Press.
  5. ↑ Wadle, Douglas C. "Review: George Lewis, A Power Stronger Than Itself". The Open Space Magazine.
  6. ↑ Stewart, Luke (June 4, 2014). "Visions of unity and change: Meditating on the AACM with Steve and Iqua Colson". Capital Bop.
  7. ↑ Black Saint Records Catalogue, 1980.
  8. ↑ Pareles, Jon (1983-07-01). "THE COLSON UNITY TROUPE". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 2025-07-09.
  9. ↑ Amiri Baraka Papers, Columbia University Archives.
  10. ↑ Holmes, Terrell Kent (2010-02-05). "Steve Colson: The Untarnished Dream album review". All About Jazz. Retrieved 2025-07-10.
  11. ↑ Segala, Giuseppe (2015-12-02). "Steve Colson: Tones For album review". All About Jazz. Retrieved 2025-07-10.
  12. ↑ Hothouse Magazine, Review of Tones For, 2015.
  13. ↑ Moore, John Frederick (January 2016). "Revolutionary Spirit". Jazziz Magazine. ProQuest   1802481661.
  14. ↑ American Composers Forum, Program Notes, 2021.
  15. ↑ Edgar, Hannah (2021-12-08). "Chicago's Top 10 moments in classical music, opera and jazz that defined 2021". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 2025-07-09.
  16. ↑ Walls, Seth Colter (2022-06-12). "Two Gems of June: Premieres at Carnegie Hall and Harlem School of the Arts". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 2025-07-09.
  17. ↑ Kaufman Music Center Program, Mirrors at Merkin Hall, 2023.
  18. ↑ Sharpe, John (May 2025). "Adegoke Steve Colson: Purveyor of Detail & Form" (PDF). New York City Jazz Record.
  19. ↑ City of Newark Proclamation, Adegoke Steve Colson Day, 1989.
  20. ↑ Doyle, Doug. "Pianist Adegoke Steve Colson Honors Newark History in 'Here Is the Place, Our City'". WBGO Jazz. Retrieved 2025-07-10.
  21. ↑ Interview with Iqua Colson, 2023.
  22. ↑ Cohen, Aaron (Spring 2025). "Playing His Own Tune". Northwestern Magazine. Retrieved 2025-07-10.
  23. ↑ East Orange Hall of Fame Inductees, 2018.
  24. ↑ Steinway & Sons Artist Registry, 2021.
  25. ↑ "Bloomfield College CAT Professor to Premiere Composition Celebrating Newark at NJPAC". Bloomfield College. Retrieved 2023-08-01.
  26. ↑ "Adegoke Steve Colson | South Arts". www.southarts.org. Retrieved 2023-08-01.
  27. ↑ "The Fromm Music Foundation Announces 2022 Commission Recipients, Prize Winners, and Project Grant Recipients". frommfoundation.fas.harvard.edu. 14 March 2023. Retrieved 2023-08-01.
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