Todd Coolman (born July 14, 1954) is a jazz bassist and a retired tenured Professor of Music at the Jazz Studies Program in the Conservatory of Music at Purchase College in Westchester County, New York.[1] He is also the former Artistic Director of the Skidmore Jazz Institute.[2]
Since moving to New York in 1978, he has performed with Horace Silver, Gerry Mulligan, Art Farmer, Lionel Hampton, Benny Goodman, Slide Hampton, Stan Getz, Tommy Flanagan, and countless others. He is probably best known for his 26-year association with the James Moody Quartet. Coolman has recorded with numerous jazz musicians in many contexts and has also released four recordings under his own leadership; "Tomorrows" (1990), “Lexicon” (1995), "Perfect Strangers" (2008) and "Collectables" (2016). In 1999, Coolman won the Grammy Award for Best Album Notes for Miles Davis Quintet 1965-1968 and in 2011 he performed on the IPO release entitled, "4B" with the James Moody Quartet that won the Grammy Award that year for, "Best Jazz Instrumental Album, Individual or Group."
He has written two method books related to jazz bass playing; "The Bass Tradition" and "The Bottom Line."
In 1997, Coolman received a Ph.D. in Music and the Performing Arts from New York University.[1]
He lives in Denville, New Jersey and is originally from Gary, Indiana.[3][1]
Discography[edit]
As leader[edit]
- Tomorrows (BRC, 1990)
- Lexicon (Double-Time, 1995)
- Perfect Strangers (ArtistShare, 2008)
- Collectables (Sunnyside, 2016)
As sideman[edit]
With James Moody
1988 Moving Forward
1989 Sweet and Lovely
1996 Young at Heart
1997 Moody Plays Mancini
2004 Homage
2008 Our Delight
2009 Moody 4A
2010 Moody 4B
With Michael Dease[4]
2018 Bonafide
With Hal Galper Trio
1990 Invitation to a Concert
1991 Live at Port Townsend '91
Blue Head (Candid, 1990) with Clifford Jordan
With Rob Schneiderman
1991 Radio Waves
2008 Glass Enclosure
With Gerald Wilson
2007 Monterey Moods
2009 Detroit
With others
1982 Made in Japan, Lionel Hampton
1984 Advance, Bobby Watson
1987 Chicago Fire, Terry Gibbs
1988 After Hours, John Campbell
1988 Holiday for Swing, Buddy DeFranco/Terry Gibbs
1993 Live in Paris '92, Ahmad Jamal
1997 Sincerely, George & Ira Gershwin
1999 Gone with the Wind, Buddy DeFranco[5]
References[edit]
- ^ a b c Staudter, Thomas (5 February 2006). "The Professor Who Teaches By Doing". The New York Times. Retrieved 27 June 2016.
- ^ Jewell, Marcella (2 July 2012). "Five Questions for Todd Coolman". saratogian.com. Retrieved 27 June 2016.
- ^ Stewart, Zan (5 March 2009). "Bassist Todd Coolman bases his life on sharing his music". nj.com. New Jersey. Retrieved 27 June 2016.
- ^ "Posi-Tone Records - Michael Dease - Bonafide". www.posi-tone.com. Retrieved 2019-12-22.
- ^ "Todd Coolman | Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 14 April 2017.