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Steven (Steve) Novosel (born 1940) is an American professional jazz bassist and educator whose 40-plus year career has spanned numerous genre, from traditional jazz to swing, bebop, mainstream and avant garde.
Born in Farrell, Pennsylvania outside Pittsburgh in 1940, Novosel is of Croatian-American heritage. He learned to play the piano as a child, including performing traditional Croatian folk songs learned from his family. He next studied trumpet in high school and his love of jazz inspired him to become a professional musician. Upon his graduation from high school Novosel went to New York City to undertake three years of advanced trumpet study before being drafted and winning an audition to join the US Army Band at Ft. Myer, Virginia, outside Washington, D.C. While in the service he discovered that there were many established jazz trumpet players in the DC-Baltimore area but a shortage of bassists, so he began to learn the bass by participating in the ubiquitous jam sessions in the region at that time. Taken under the wing of DC saxophonist Charlie Hampton, Novosel soon began playing gigs in DC and Baltimore. Novosel also studied the double bass formally with ex-Detroit Symphony classical bassist Thomas Martin, (future Principal Bassist with the London Philharmonic Orchestra,) who at that time was also serving his military obligation in the US Army Band at Ft. Myer.
Although left-handed, Novosel mastered the double bass playing it in a right-hand set up.
By 1966, Novosel had left the service and was working as a full-time professional bassist in DC, New York and other east coast venues with a variety of groups, most notably as the replacement for Walter Booker in the acclaimed JFK Quartet. That same year, multi-reed player Rahsaan Roland Kirk was searching for a new bassist and Kirk's drummer Jimmy Hopps recommended Novosel for the job. In 1967, Novosel recorded with Kirk on the latter's highly acclaimed The Inflated Tear LP. Novosel remained with Kirk for the next three years and toured widely, including a successful Eastern Europe tour. Novosel had by this time become acquainted with saxophonist David Fathead Newman and appeared (playing electric bass) on Newman's funk-oriented 1971 LP, Captain Buckles . This led to a long association between Novosel and Newman.
Over the next 30 years, Novosel performed with, recorded with and/or toured with a veritable Who's Who of Jazz, including Cedar Walton, Milt Jackson, Bobby Hackett, Al Grey, Pharoah Sanders, Eddie Vinson, the Teddy Wilson Trio, the Red Norvo Trio, Stanley Cowell, Larry Willis, Jimmy Heath, Charlie Byrd, Elvin Jones, James Moody, Jimmy Cobb, Slide Hampton, Norman Simmons, John Hicks, Steve Turre, Gary Bartz, Tal Farlow, Blue Mitchell, Jack Walrath, Buck Hill, Archie Shepp, Harry Sweets Edison, Eddie Lockjaw Davis, Jake Hanna, and vocalists Billy Eckstine, Betty Carter, Mavis Rivers, Shirley Horn and Anita O'Day. Novosel has also participated in some 20 recording projects with avant garde saxophonist and John Coltrane musicologist Andrew White since the 1960s. He has also performed in the Washington theater productions of A Raisin In The Sun and Don't Bother Me, I Can't Cope . He has appeared numerous times at the "North Sea Jazz Festival", at the "East Coast Jazz Festival" and the "Floating Jazz Festival", as well as The Kennedy Center, The Corcoran Gallery, The Smithsonian, Wolftrap and club venues from coast to coast. He has toured Europe and Eastern Europe and performed in Hong Kong with the Teddy Wilson Trio. In 2001 he led a group that included guitarist Joe Cohn on a concert tour of the Balkans, including Croatia.
Novosel has also been an adjunct Instructor of Double Bass Performance at both American University and the University of the District of Columbia for many years, and he remains an active voice on the national jazz scene.
Novosel was married to singer Roberta Flack from 1965 to 1972.
With the David Bond Quintet
With Stanley Cowell
With Al Grey
With Eddie Harris
With John Hicks
With Shirley Horn
With Milt Jackson
With Donny Hathaway
With Rahsaan Roland Kirk
With Charles Tolliver
With Andrew White
With Larry Willis
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Christian McBride is an American jazz bassist, composer and arranger. He has appeared on more than 300 recordings as a sideman, and is an eight-time Grammy Award winner.
Wilbur James "Jimmy" Cobb was an American jazz drummer. He was part of Miles Davis's First Great Sextet. At the time of his death, he had been the band's last surviving member for nearly thirty years. He was awarded an NEA Jazz Masters Fellowship in 2009.
John Josephus Hicks Jr. was an American jazz pianist, composer, and arranger. He was leader of more than 30 recordings and played as a sideman on more than 300.
Ronald Boykins was a jazz bassist and is best known for his work with pianist/bandleader Sun Ra, although he had played with such disparate musicians as Muddy Waters, Johnny Griffin, and Jimmy Witherspoon prior to joining Sun Ra's Arkestra.
The Inflated Tear is a studio album by Roland Kirk, released on Atlantic in 1968. It was re-released in 1998 by Rhino featuring a bonus track and extensive liner notes. In 2017, Pitchfork placed it at number 170 on its list of the "200 Best Albums of the 1960s".
Jack Arthur Walrath is an American post-bop jazz trumpeter and musical arranger known for his work with Ray Charles, Gary Peacock, Charles Mingus, and Glenn Ferris, among others.
Larry Gray is a Chicago musician known for his compositions and skill on the double bass and cello. His primary teachers were Joseph Guastafeste, longtime principal bassist of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, and cellist Karl Fruh.
Boogie-Woogie String Along for Real is the final album recorded by jazz multi-instrumentalist Rahsaan Roland Kirk featuring performances by Kirk with string section and orchestra. It was recorded following a stroke which left him partially paralysed.
Kirkatron is an album by jazz multi-instrumentalist Rahsaan Roland Kirk featuring performances by Kirk recorded at the Montreux Jazz Festival in 1975 and studio sessions from 1975 and 1976.
This is a timeline documenting events of Jazz in the year 1965.
This is a timeline documenting events of Jazz in the year 1969.
This is a timeline documenting events of Jazz in the year 1977.
I Heard That!! is a 1976 double album by Quincy Jones.
Captain Buckles is an album by saxophonist David "Fathead" Newman featuring performances recorded in 1970 and released on the Cotillion label.
Donald Rafael Garrett was an American jazz multi-instrumentalist who played double-bass, clarinet, and flute.
Single Petal of a Rose is an album by pianist John Hicks, recorded in 1992.
Trio + Strings is an album by pianist John Hicks, recorded in 1997.
Portraits in Ivory and Brass is an album by trumpeter Jack Walrath with pianist Larry Willis and bassist Steve Novosel which was recorded in 1992 and released on the Mapleshade label in 1994.
Chillin' is an album by saxophonist David "Fathead" Newman which was recorded in 1998 and released on the HighNote label the following year.
Keep the Spirits Singing is an album by saxophonist David "Fathead" Newman recorded in 2000 and released on the HighNote label the following year.
