Steve Cole

USA

May 14, 2007

562 plays
9,987 views

STEVE COLE

âœOne of the things I really wanted to do on this record,â says saxophone virtuoso Steve Cole of his new disc, True, âœwas play.â

Band/artist history

STEVE COLE

âœOne of the things I really wanted to do on this record,â says saxophone virtuoso Steve Cole of his new disc, True, âœwas play.â  

It might seem that Cole is belaboring the obvious, given that the saxman is one of the most celebrated players in contemporary jazz, having sold hundreds of thousands of albums worldwide and scored four #1 R&R Smooth Jazz hits. But he insists that creating True enabled him to explore as a soloistâ”in a way he never had before in the studioâ”coming closer than ever to the joy of live performance.

As player, producer and songwriter, Cole has always given pop songcraft and structure a central role. He still emphasizes indelibly hooky melody lines and sophisticated changes on True, but he also embraces the ecstasy of the expressive solo. âœIâve always been focused on the composition as a recording artist, but most of the satisfaction Iâve ever gotten as a player has been when I am stretching out,â he volunteers. âœI really wanted to do that this time.â 

âœIn my live show I really try to build excitement through improvisation, which I havenât done enough of in my recordings,â he adds. âœBut a lot of the substance of a player is evident once they get off the melody and start improvising. Thatâs a window into who you are. The audience really responds if you reach something in a solo. Your eyes are closed and youâre just trying to bring this feeling out, and suddenly everyone is clapping and standing up.â

Refining his emotional, powerfully melodic blend of jazz, soul, R&B, pop and dance, True represents a return to Coleâs roots following 2005âs pop/rock-leaning Spin. On such cuts as the seductively grooving âœBounce,â the jazz-chill hybrid âœCÃtÃ Seine,â the lush, soulful âœCurtis,â the ravishing âœTake Meâ and the club-rocking âœMetro,â Cole digs deeper than ever as a player. With help from a superlative crew of musicians, he strove, this time out, to capture the earthy, spontaneous vibe of the records that have always inspired him.  

Citing key albums by such artists as David Sanborn, Grover Washington, Jr., Spyro Gyra and George Benson, Cole explains that the previous eraâs production ethos centered on unique artists with compelling voices on their instruments, well-crafted material and an esprit de corps among musicians, rather than âœwhoâs got the best sample library or can work wonders with ProTools.â Recording almost entirely live, Cole and his gifted crewâ”including bassists Richard Patterson (Miles Davis, Boz Scaggs, Sanborn) and Steve Rodby (Pat Metheny), drummer Khari Parker (Scaggs, Destinyâs Child, Beyonceâ), keyboard wizard Ricky Peterson (John Mayer, David Sanborn, Bonnie Raitt), guitarist and co-writer David Hiltebrand, sax player-keyboardist and co-writer David Mann and percussionist Lenny Castroâ”strove to capture a similar kind of magic. The project was mixed by Grammy-nominated engineer Craig Bauer (Kanye Westâs Late Registration)

âœAll the records I listened to as a kid that made me love this music so much and want so desperately to be an artist in this genreâ”I wanted to go back to that tradition,â Cole reflects.

In a number of ways, True also connects strongly to Coleâs hometown of Chicago, with its evocation of Windy City soul icon Curtis Mayfieldâs spirit on âœCurtis,â its salute to Chicago House music on âœMetroâ and its homage to local hero and jazz-funk luminary Quincy Jones on âœJust a Natural Thang,â among other tracks. âœSo much of the music that influenced this record is rooted in Chicago, though I didnât plan it,â the saxophonist muses. âœIt just came out that way.â

Cole grew up in Chicago, the son of a jazz saxophonist; his dadâs extraordinary library of LPs helped ignite his love of jazz and R&B. âœHis record collection was pretty comprehensive,â Cole recalls. I listened to everything, just exploring. I loved Dave Brubeck; Paul Desmond was a mysterious character to me, and his sound was so simple and so deep at the same time.â

Under his fatherâs tutelage, Cole learned to identify different horn players on the radio. âœThatâs where I started to think, âOne day I want someone to listen to something and know itâs me,ââ he says. He took saxophone lessons and quickly determined that heâd found his instrument. âœIâm a tenor playerâ”thatâs my voice,â Cole informs. âœFrom the day I picked it up, it just felt right.â (Cole is also an accomplished alto and soprano player, but the timbre and tone of the tenor make it his ultimate expressive tool.)

He attended Northwestern University, where he explored modern classical music for the saxophoneâ”even performing with the Chicago Symphony Orchestraâ”and simultaneously earned a business degree. Taking a break from music, he worked as a management consultant and corporate strategist, and earned an MBA from the University of Chicago. Though he believes his business studies and experience have been extremely useful for his career, Cole admits he regrets âœnot focusing 100% on my playingâ during that period.

He began making up for lost time, however, playing sessions and club gigs wherever possible; he recorded with blues legend Junior Wells and began playing, writing and producing with Atlantic Records artists Bob Mamet and Brian Culbertson. His visibility at the label grew, and soon Cole signed his own deal with Atlantic.  He released his debut disc, Stay Awhile, in 1998; it yielded the hits âœWhere the Night Begins,â âœWhen I Think of Youâ and âœSay It Againâ and earned Cole a Prism Award for Best New Artist at the 2000 Oasis Smooth Jazz Awards.

âœI was very naÃve and wasnât thinking about anything but writing the music that came naturally, which was great,â he remembers with a laugh. âœI really enjoyed making that record, because ignorance is bliss. I feel this new record came out of the same intuitive spirit, even though I knew a lot more going in.â

In addition to touring and/or recording with Boz Scaggs, Larry Carlton, Jeff Lorber Freddie Cole, Cyrus Chestnut, KMFDM, Rick Braun and other artists, he issued a follow-up disc, Between Us, which featured the chart-topping singles âœGot It Goinâ Onâ and âœFrom the Start.â His third album, 2003âs NY LA, included the hit âœOff Broadwayâ and his acclaimed cover of TLCâs âœWaterfalls.â

2005âs Spin found Cole adapting elements of singer-songwriter pop to his instrumental style, a result of imbibing records by Beck, John Mayer and other rock-leaning acts. He even learned to play guitar for the record. But the classic R&B/jazz that had first prompted him to pick up the sax wouldnât stop calling to him. With his latest creation, heâs staying True to his origins.

âœIâve always been a really expressive player, and I gravitate toward expressive music,â he ventures. âœThe most satisfaction I get out of playing is when Iâm able to convey some emotion to the audience and actually feel it.  Thereâs been a bit of anonymity in some of the music lately; I think the audience wants to have a little more insight into an artistâs humanity, their heart. Itâs hard to do that with lots of programming and technology.â

Grabbing his horn, some outstandingly talented friends and the production reins, Cole has paid fitting tribute to the music that influenced him. âœTo me, music needs to be human and organicâ”thatâs when people respond, when it gives them a window into who the artist is,â he declares. âœThe more artists can express themselves in a production, the more profound that can be.â

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