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Steve Slagle

Steve Slagle was born in Los Angeles, California where he got his first saxophone and later attended Berklee College of Music in Boston on a DownBeat scholarship. One of his first gigs, at the age of 18, was in the Stevie Wonder Band, in Boston. Berklee is also where he met many musicians from all over the world whom he still remains close with. With his eyes on New York City, Steve moved there permanently in 1977, where he started to work with Machito and the Afro-Cuban Orchestra (lead alto) which was the band Charlie Parker and Dizzy had played with, as well stints with Lionel Hampton, Woody Herman and Cab Calloway. All of this was great once in a lifetime experience which you can’t get any other way than doing it.

But his first recordings and tours in Europe were with The Steve Kuhn Quartet, following that with a stint with organist Jack McDuff. Joining The Carla Bley Band in 1981 and touring the world a lot with her Steve also played with Charlie Haden’s Liberation Music Orchestra. In 1986 he recorded with Milton Nascimento and his band in Rio de Janeiro Brazil (the album “Rio Highlife” named after his composition “Highlife” was released on Atlantic Records in 1986). Always composing and arranging along with saxophone, flute and alto clarinet, Steve became Ray Barretto’s musical director in 1988 and then arranger and lead alto saxophonist with the Charles Mingus Big Band in ‘91, with two Grammy nominations for recording with them. He has then worked with Joe Lovano in various combinations, among them the Nonet’s Grammy winner “52nd Street Themes” for Blue Note Records. Steve played and arranged for their second recording live at the Village Vanguard "On This Day" and their next Lovano Nonet project has just been recorded. Throughout all of this while developing his own “sound” Steve has been composing new music and performing with his own groups. He has made five recordings for the Steeplechase label and “New New York” (2001) for Omnitone Records. Steve’s main focus lately has been the critically acclaimed Stryker/Slagle Band which he co-leads with long time partner guitarist Dave Stryker. They have made several recordings together but the last two have been under the Stryker/Slagle name - most recently “Live At The Jazz Standard” on Zoho Records has been called “...a field report from one of today’s most inspired two-man teams” - (Jazz Times).

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Liner Notes

Steve Slagle: Into The Heart Of It

Read "Steve Slagle: Into The Heart Of It" reviewed by Dan Bilawsky


In a storied career that's produced more than 20 leader dates, there's little that Steve Slagle hasn't explored and accomplished. Yet here we are with a true first from the veteran alto saxophonist: A stunning bouquet of ballads. Inspired by lodestar outings from legends like John Coltrane, and driven by a desire to find a personalized path through the format, Slagle essentially came to balance history with his own story. “I really ruminated over this," he explains, “and I find ...

6
Album Review

Steve Slagle: Ballads: Into the Heart of it

Read "Ballads: Into the Heart of it" reviewed by Edward Blanco


New York-based saxophonist, composer and educator Steve Slagle refused to let the pandemic interfere with his recording activities, and in August of 2021 completed a project covering an assortment of wonderful ballads on Ballads: Into the Heart of it. Having carved out a distinguished musical career spanning over four decades and documented on over 20 albums as leader, presenting the ballads in a slightly different way was a new challenge Slagle mastered elegantly. The album features a mix ...

3
Album Review

Steve Slagle: Dedication

Read "Dedication" reviewed by Mark Sullivan


Veteran reed player Steve Slagle delivers another exciting jazz album in this sequel to Alto Manhattan (Panorama Records, 2016). The core band is much the same: pianist Lawrence Fields, drummer Bill Stewart, and Roman Diaz playing conga and percussion on several tracks. Frequent playing partner Scott Colley joins in on bass, and the special guest is long time friend guitarist Dave Stryker. Stryker and Slagle have co-led a band for many years, and the guitarist brings sympathetic support and fiery ...

4
Album Review

Steve Slagle: Dedication

Read "Dedication" reviewed by Dan Bilawsky


Steve Slagle is one of those players that's often overlooked yet hard to forget. Why this sixty-five-year-old saxophonist who's constantly bringing energy and a spirit of exploration to the fore doesn't get the ink or marquees that come to his musical peers ten years his senior or several decades his junior is something of a head-scratcher. If you've seen him as a sideman, encountered him co-leading a band with guitarist Dave Stryker, checked out his duo work with pianist Bill ...

10
Album Review

Steve Slagle: Alto Manhattan

Read "Alto Manhattan" reviewed by Mark Sullivan


Alto Manhattan is Latino for the New York City neighborhood “upper Manhattan" (or “the heights"). It's also where veteran alto saxophonist/flutist Steve Slagle lives, making for a nice bit of wordplay in the album title. This is a well-balanced program, with just a bit more Latin tinge than average. “Family" launches the set with Latin-flavored hard bop, featuring fiery interplay between Slagle's alto sax and guest Joe Lovano's tenor sax (guest conga player Roman Diaz also makes his first appearance). ...

4
Album Review

Steve Slagle: Alto Manhattan

Read "Alto Manhattan" reviewed by Roger Farbey


Alto Manhattan is a confident and intelligent follow-up to saxophonist Steve Slagle's 2012 album Evensong. Kicking-off with a blues head (but with a twist) “Family" is a no-nonsense stormer benefitting from guests Joe Lovano on tenor sax and Roman Diaz on congas and some good tenor / alto “jousting" towards the end of the track. “Alto Manhattan" is Latino for the NYC area in which Steve lives, otherwise known as Upper Manhattan or The Heights. Here it's represented by a ...

6
Album Review

Steve Slagle & Bill O'Connell: The Power Of Two

Read "The Power Of Two" reviewed by Dan Bilawsky


The initial impetus behind the creation of this recording was the passing of Kenny Drew Jr., an exceptional and underappreciated pianist who saxophonist Steve Slagle worked with, both in the Mingus Big Band and on one of his own leader dates--Reincarnation (SteepleChase, 1994). On the day his friend passed, Slagle penned “KD JR.," later sending it to Bill O'Connell, another of his piano-playing colleagues. That got the ball rolling for this, the first duo date in Slagle's discography.

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Event

Steve Slagle "Dedication" CD Release Thurs., Feb. 22nd at SMOKE - Three Sets - Starts at 7pm

Steve Slagle "Dedication" CD Release Thurs., Feb. 22nd at SMOKE - Three Sets - Starts at 7pm

Source: Jim Eigo, Jazz Promo Services

Steve Slagle Dedication CD Release Tonight! Sets 7pm-9pm-10:30pm SMOKE 2751 Broadway New York, NY 10025 DownBeat Editors Pick January 2018 By Ed Enright  Steve Slagle dedicates each track on his new album to people, places and things that have served as sources of artistic inspiration during his five-decade career as a saxophonist/flutist, composer, educator, arranger and bandleader on the New York scene. Dedication starts with a kick as Slagle (on alto), pianist Lawrence Fields, ...

Chris Torkewitz
saxophone, tenor

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Music

Recordings: As Leader | As Sideperson

Into the Heart of it

Panorama Records
2022

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Dedication

Panorama Records
2017

buy

Alto Manhattan

Panorama Records
2016

buy

The Power Of Two

Panorama Records
2015

buy

Evensong

Panorama Records
2013

buy

New New York

OmniTone
2001

buy

Holiday

From: Alto Manhattan
By Steve Slagle

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