Steve Swell
*5 December 1954
Works by Steve Swell
Biography
Steve Swell has been a leading figure in the improvisation arena since the 1980s, creating a unique space for his chosen instrument and his compositions on the International scene which have garnered him many awards and recording commissions throughout the world of improvised and new music. He appears regularly on the Downbeat Critics Poll and the El Intruso International poll. He has been nominated three times by the Jazz Journalists Association in 2008, 2011 and 2020. His CD “Suite For Players, Listeners and Other Dreamers” (CIMP) ranked number 2 in the 2004 Cadence Readers Poll. He received a Creative Engagement grant from the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council in 2020 and was received a City Artists Corps Grant (NYC) in 2021. He has over 75 recordings as a leader or co-leader and is a featured artist on more than 140 other releases. He runs workshops around the world and is a teaching artist in the New York City public schools system focusing on special needs children.
About the music
Steve’s composing interests lie at the nexus of the creation of works that include a diverse array of compositional approaches that include new music, alternative techniques and styles along with improvisational components that enhance his compositions and bring to life a unique body of works. He loves the process of writing then rehearsing and discovering in a rehearsal how each composition can evolve. A new work inspired by Russian composer Galina Ustvolskaya was recorded in March of 2024.
