Steve McCall, AACM co founder (September 30, 1933 – May 24, 1989)
McCall was born in Chicago and began his career there in the 1950s. One of his early
gigs was playing behind blues singer Lucky Carmichael. McCall befriended Muhal
Richard Abrams in 1961, and went on to be one of the founders of the AACM in 1965.
He played with hard bop and free jazz musicians throughout the decade; among those
he played with were Anthony Braxton, Leroy Jenkins, Joseph Jarman, Roscoe Mitchell,
Fred Anderson, and Wadada Leo Smith. From 1967 to 1970 he lived in Amsterdam
and in Paris, playing there with Braxton, Marion Brown, and Gunter Hampel. In 1970
he moved back to Chicago, where he played in a trio with Dexter Gordon and Gene
Ammons, and the avant garde trio Air with reed player Henry Threadgill and bassist
Fred Hopkins.
He spent another year in Europe in 1974, then moved to New York City in 1975,
playing again with Threadgill and Hopkins in Air and with Muhal Richard Abrams in
trio and quintet with bassist Leonard Jones. He also played with Chico Freeman,
Arthur Blythe, John Hicks and David Murray. He played with David Murray at Galerie
Waalkens of Albert Waalkens in the Dutch village Finsterwolde. In 1985 he played
with Cecil Taylor, and worked with Roscoe Mitchell again until his death of a stroke in
1989. He never recorded a session as a leader (a solo recording for the French Futura
label was mentioned at one time, but it's unclear whether it actually existed).
However, McCall received equal billing with tenor sax player Fred Anderson on the
posthumously released Vintage Duets album.
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2005 -2022 AACM New York City Chapter, Inc
aacm new york
Steve McCall, AACM co founder
(September 30, 1933 – May 24, 1989)
McCall was born in Chicago and began
his career there in the 1950s. One of
his early gigs was playing behind blues
singer Lucky Carmichael. McCall
befriended Muhal Richard Abrams in
1961, and went on to be one of the
founders of the AACM in 1965. He
played with hard bop and free jazz
musicians throughout the decade;
among those he played with were
Anthony Braxton, Leroy Jenkins,
Joseph Jarman, Roscoe Mitchell, Fred
Anderson, and Wadada Leo Smith.
From 1967 to 1970 he lived in
Amsterdam and in Paris, playing there
with Braxton, Marion Brown, and
Gunter Hampel. In 1970 he moved
back to Chicago, where he played in a
trio with Dexter Gordon and Gene
Ammons, and the avant garde trio Air
with reed player Henry Threadgill and
bassist Fred Hopkins.
He spent another year in Europe in
1974, then moved to New York City in
1975, playing again with Threadgill and
Hopkins in Air and with Muhal Richard
Abrams in trio and quintet with bassist
Leonard Jones. He also played with
Chico Freeman, Arthur Blythe, John
Hicks and David Murray. He played
with David Murray at Galerie Waalkens
of Albert Waalkens in the Dutch village
Finsterwolde. In 1985 he played with
Cecil Taylor, and worked with Roscoe
Mitchell again until his death of a
stroke in 1989. He never recorded a
session as a leader (a solo recording for
the French Futura label was mentioned
at one time, but it's unclear whether it
actually existed). However, McCall
received equal billing with tenor sax
player Fred Anderson on the
posthumously released Vintage Duets
album.
2005 -2022 AACM New York City Chapter, Inc