Steve Swell


Steve Swell 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 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, Fire Into Music, Unified Theory of Sound and his large ensemble Nation of We.
Swell has received a number of awards including a USArts International travel grant in 2006, grants from MCAF in 2008 & 2012, Foundation for Contemporary Arts and was nominated for Trombonist of Year, 2008 & 2011 by the Jazz Journalists Association. He was chosen Trombonist of the Year 2008-2010, 2012 & 2014-2016 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 2010-2017. 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

with Slammin' the Infinite
with Ullmann/Swell 4
with Nation of We
with Inner Ear
Digital Release
Trumpets: Roy Campbell, Lewis Barnes, Matt LaVelle
Trombones: Dick Griffin, Peter Zummo, Steve Swell, Dave Taylor
Piano: Chris Forbes
Bass: Matthew Heyner, Todd Nicholson
Drums: Jackson Krall-
https://ayler-records.bandcamp.com/album/live-at-the-bowery-poetry-club

As sideman

With Joey Baron
With Tim Berne
With Anthony Braxton
With Rob Brown
With Jaki Byard and the Apollo Stompers
With Bill Dixon
With Jemeel Moondoc
  • Spirit House
  • Live at the Vision Festival
  • The Zookeeper's House
With William Parker
  • Flowers Grow in My Room
  • Sunrise in the Tone World
  • Mayor of Punkville
  • Raincoat in the River
  • Spontaneous
  • For Percy Heath
  • Essence of Ellington
With Alan Silva
  • Vision Festival Orchestra
  • Celestial Communications Orchestra Live in Poschiavo, Switzerland
With Cecil Taylor
  • All the Notes Cecil Taylor and Orchestra Humane - Chris Felver Films
With Ken Vandermark
  • Resonance Ensemble: Head Above Water
  • Resonance Ensemble: What Country Is This?
  • Resonance Ensemble: Kafka in Flight
  • Resonance Ensemble: Live in Krakow
  • Resonance Ensemble: Live in the Ukraine
With Tom Varner'