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Steve
Heckman, Saxophonist
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Steve
Heckman was born in Brooklyn, N.Y. on 7/20/50. He grew up at an
opportune time, getting exposed to the best jazz in the world
during one of jazz's most creative periods. He began clarinet
at 12, then alto and tenor sax, ultimately choosing tenor as his
favorite horn. Over the years he also added soprano and baritone
sax, as well as flute and alto flute. He has written 75 original
jazz tunes. He is self-taught in improvisation, but thanks teachers
Allen Fields, Ray Musiker and Carmine Caruso for assistance in
the theoretical and technical grounding necessary to blow decent
jazz.
The
most significant spark to set his spirit on fire with love and
enthusiasm for
jazz was when,
at age 15, he
first heard the music of John Coltrane:
Worlds
split open, and he was propelled into a realm of unparallelled
richness and dimension which has profoundly influenced his approach
to both playing, as well as composition.
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Listening to 'Trane's "A Love Supreme" from start
to finish every day after school through 11th and 12th
grade became his daily ritual; he also absorbed as much as possible,
listening to everything he could find by Trane. Other significant
influences include: Bird, Wayne Shorter, Charles Lloyd, Sonny
Rollins, Joe Henderson, Pharoah Sanders, Yusef Lateef, Lee Konitz,
Eric Dolphy, Dexter Gordon, George Coleman, Jackie McLean, Sonny
Stitt, Charlie Rouse, Jimmy Guiffre, Michael Brecker, Steve Grossman,
Bob Berg, Jan Garbarek, Billy Harper, Jerry Bergonzi, and many
others too numerous to mention. |
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Steve
has performed with a variety of jazz greats, ranging in styles
from traditional to bebop to "avant-garde". At age 17 he was fortunate
to meet and play with veteran bebop trumpeter Howard McGhee, as
well as perform with pioneering trombonist Roswell Rudd's Blues
for Planet Earth Orchestra (which included such greats as Charles
Davis, Roland Alexander, Mike Mantler, Mike Lawrence, Lewis Worrell
and Beaver Harris). At college in upstate New York Steve played
with such notables as bassist Slam Stewart, trombonists Si Zentner
and Urbie Green, and at the University of Illinois with the Jimmy
and Tommy Dorsey bands (led by Lee Castle and Warren Covington,
respectively). Over the years he has kept good company with the
likes of guitarists Cal Collins, Bruce Foreman, Mimi Fox; pianists
Jim McNeely, George Cables, Andrew Hill, Jessica Williams, Larry
Vuckovich and Weber Drummond; drummers Eddie Moore, Donald Bailey,
Pete Escovedo, and Helcio Melito; trumpeter Tom Harrell; vocalists
Frankye Kelley, Madeline Eastman, Kellye Gray, Buddy Connor, and
the Modernaires with Peter Duchin. Steve was a regular member
of trumpeter Eddie Henderson's quintet which featured rising piano
star Benny Green; he was also privileged to play loft sessions
with both guitarist John Abercrombie and the late trumpeter Chet
Baker. His debut CD "With John in Mind", is dedicated to his mentor,
John Coltrane, and contains 7 of Steve's original compositions.
Steve has been interviewed on both San Francisco Bay Area radio
stations KCSM and KJAZ. |
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