By Matt Micucci
Tenor Saxophonist and NEA Jazz Master George Coleman will be releasing his first album as bandleader in nearly 20 years. The album is titled A Master Speaks and will be released on April 8 via Smoke Sessions Records.
A Master Speaks will also mark the 80-year-old Coleman’s first recording of any type since the 2002 all-star live tribute album Four Generations of Miles, in which he played in a quartet made up of alumni from four different editions of Miles Davis’ bands alongride Ron Carter, Mike Stern and Jimmy Cobb.
The new session was born out of a desire shared by Coleman and his son, drummer George Coleman Jr., to finally record together. Also featured in the album are pianist Mike LeDonne and bassist Bob Cranshaw, with guitarist Peter Bernstein making a special guest appearance on a track titled “Blues for B.B.” in Coleman plays homage to one of his earliest mentors and employers, B.B. King.