Charles Tolliver
Charles Tolliver’s professional musical career as a performer / composer / arranger / orchestrator / educator began in 1964 with a series of recordings with one of jazz music’s major figures, saxophonist Jackie McLean, for Blue Note Records.
As a performing artist he has been part of a great fraternity of performers. Artists such as Herbie Hancock, Horace Silver, McCoy Tyner, Andrew Hill, Sonny Rollins, Hank Mobley, Roy Haynes, Gerald Wilson Orchestra, Oliver Nelson Orchestra, Art Blakey & the Jazz Messengers, Max Roach, and Roy Ayers all have been a part of his performing & recording journey.
As an improvising performer he has maintained a commitment to performance and recording both live & in studio, many of which are captured on various labels such as Impulse, Atlantic, Pacific Jazz, Polydor, Arista, Enja, Black Lion, Freedom, Mosaic, Half Note, Blue Note and Strata-East – the landmark record label founded by Tolliver himself and Stanley Cowell.
In addition to performing and composing for his own recordings he has composed & orchestrated works for performances & recordings for major artists such as Herbie Mann, Roy Ayers, Gerald Wilson Orchestra, Max Roach.
1971 - commissioned by Max Roach to create an orchestral Drum Suite which was premiered & performed at Montreux Jazz Festival 1971.
2009 - commissioned by Duke University to create the definitive transcription of & perform Thelonious Monk’s historic 1959 TOWN HALL concert 50th anniversary @ Town Hall.
2011 - commissioned by Frankfurt National Radio/TV to create the definitive transcription of & perform John Coltrane’s historic 1961 AFRICA BRASS Impulse recording 50th anniversary.
2013 - commissioned by Boosey & Hawkes (BLO) to re-orchestrate Jack Beeson’s “LIZZIE BORDEN” Opera premiered by the Boston Lyric Opera.
His most recent release, CONNECT, was released by Gearbox Records in 2020.