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Born in Newark, New Jersey, Steve Swell has been living, working and performing
in New York City for all of his adult life. In an effort to find his own voice on his instrument and to learn to write and
arrange in a style of his own, he has sought out, performed and recorded with many of the finest composers and improvisors
in the city. He has recorded and toured with such diverse jazz personalities as mainstreamers Lionel Hampton and Buddy Rich,
to so-called outsiders like Anthony Braxton and Jemeel Moondoc. Swell has 20 recordings as a leader or co-leader and is a
featured artist on more than seventy other releases.
Swell first came to public attention performing with Makanda Ken McIntyre in the multi-instrumentalist's concert at Carnegie
Recital Hall in 1985 of which Herb Boyd of The Amsterdam News wrote, "Swell possesses a foreceful, but mature sound...with
a vibrant syncopation..." Later, Swell came to international attention while touring in Europe and recording with alto saxophonist
Tim Berne and his group "Caos Totale." There are two studio recordings of this band on the JMT label. During this time Steve
also toured and recorded with Joey Baron's "Barondown" which has three releases; one for JMT, one on New World and the most
recent for the Avant label.
Even though he is strongly identified with the "downtown scene", Swell has been developing his style in the more so-called
"traditional avant-garde" arena. Co-leading such projects as "Space, Time, Swing" with Perry Robinson, being a sideman in
William Parker's "Little Huey Creative Music Orchestra" and working with other similar people has kept him on this circuit.
Dave McElfresh of Jazz Now wrote in a review of drummer Lou Grassi's CD, PoGressions, "Swell's powerful trombone zooms in
and out of the music like a plane diving at a target. Players like himself - and music like this - are to be thanked for the
revival of interest in the instrument."
Swell’s newest CDs, “Slammin’ the Infinite Live @ The Vision Festival” with Sabir Mateen, Matt
Heyner, Klaus Kugel and featuring John Blum was released on NotTwo in May, 2007 and Fire Into Music, “Swimming In a
Galaxy Of Goodwill and Sorrow” with Hamid Drake, Jemeel Moondoc and William Parker was released in June, 2007. Swell
was also a featured soloist in Anthony Braxton’s opera, “Shala Fears For The Poor.” Steve taught a master
class at New England Conservatory and is a teaching artist in the NYC public school system focusing on special ed.
Steve's "Suite For Players, Listeners and Other Dreamers" was voted Number 2 in the 2004 Cadence Reader's Poll.
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