Charles Tolliver

Charles Tolliver (born March 6, 1942) is an American jazz trumpeter and composer.

Biography
Tolliver was born in Jacksonville, Florida, where, as a child, he received his first trumpet as a gift from his grandmother. He attended Howard University in the early 1960s as a pharmacy student, when he decided to pursue music as a career and moved to New York City. He came to prominence in 1964, playing and recording on Jackie McLean's Blue Note albums. In 1971, Tolliver and Stanley Cowell founded Strata-East Records, one of the pioneer artist-owned jazz record labels. Tolliver himself released many albums and collaborations on Strata. Following a long hiatus, he reemerged in the late 2000s (decade), releasing two albums arranged for big band. With Love was nominated in 2007 for a Grammy award for Best Large Jazz Ensemble.

He would later describe his experience: "There was so much going on with the music. Like with bebop, we had a long period of just salivating on. There were all these different idioms within a genre, the avant-garde and free music, bebop still, and of course the music of John Coltrane and Miles. It was just a hell of a period. And then there was also the political scene going on...."

As leader

 * 1968: Paper Man (Freedom) aka Charles Tolliver and His All Stars (Black Lion), with Herbie Hancock, Ron Carter, Joe Chambers, Gary Bartz
 * 1969: The Ringer (Freedom), with Stanley Cowell, Steve Novosel, Jimmy Hopps
 * 1970: Live at Slugs (Strata-East), with Cecil McBee, Jimmy Hopps, Stanley Cowell
 * 1971: Music Inc. (Strata-East), with Stanley Cowell, Ron Mathewson, Alvin Queen
 * 1972: Live at the Loosdrechdt Jazz Festival (Strata-East), aka Grand Max (Black Lion), with John Hicks, Reggie Workman, Alvin Queen
 * 1972: Impact (Strata-East), with Jon Faddis, Charles McPherson, James Spaulding, Stanley Cowell, Cecil McBee
 * 1973: Live in Tokyo (Strata-East), with Clint Houston, Clifford Barbaro, Stanley Cowell
 * 1977: Compassion (Strata-East), with Steve Novosel, Alvin Queen, Nathen Page
 * 1988: Live in Berlin at the Quasimodo (Strata-East), with Alain Jean-Marie, Ralph Van Duncan, Ugonna Okegwa
 * 2007: With Love (Blue Note), with big band including Craig Handy, Robert Glasper, Stanley Cowell, Victor Lewis, Billy Harper, Howard Johnson
 * 2009: Emperor March: Live at the Blue Note (Half Note), with big band

As a sideman
With Booker Ervin With Roy Ayers With Andrew Hill With Jackie McLean With Max Roach With Horace Silver With McCoy Tyner
 * Structurally Sound (Pacific Jazz, 1966)
 * Booker 'n' Brass (Pacific Jazz, 1967)
 * Virgo Vibes (Atlantic, 1967)
 * One for One (Blue Note, 1965, 1969, 1970 [1975])
 * Dance with Death (Blue Note, 1968 [1980])
 * Time Lines (Blue Note, 2006)
 * It's Time! (Blue Note, 1964)
 * Action Action Action (Blue Note, 1964)
 * Jacknife (Blue Note, 1965)
 * Members, Don't Git Weary (Atlantic, 1968)
 * Serenade to a Soul Sister (Blue Note, 1968)
 * Song for My Lady (Milestone, 1972)