BACKGROUND:
Since Jean Toussaint Left Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers, he hasn't looked back. Nor has he spent a career trying to repeat the past. The experiences gained in that world-class hothouse have enabled him to push forward and embrace challenging and often high-profile musical collaborations in many different jazz styles. Today he works out of London, England as a composer, tenor and soprano saxophonist, band leader and educator.
EARLY STUFF:
Born on the Dutch Antilles Island of Aruba, Toussaint grew up in St Thomas, US Virgin Islands and studied at Berklee College of Music in Boston. "I was at Berklee with an amazing bunch of cats - Branford Marsalis, Greg Osby, BillyPierce (my teacher), Kevin Eubanks, Jeff Tain Watts, Cindy Blackman, Donald Harrison, Marvin Smitty Smith, Victor Bailey, Gene Jackson, Billy Killson, Will Calhoun, Ralph Moore, Wallace Roney, Walter Beaseley and many others."
Toussaint joined Art Blakey in 1982 and toured and recorded with him for four years. That edition of the Messengers had Mulgrew Miller on piano, Donald Harrison on saxophone, Terence Blanchard on trumpet, Charles Fambrough on bass (for the first year) followed by Lonnie Plaxico on bass. Toussaint's last year in the Messengers was with Donald Brown on piano, Wallace Roney on trumpet, Kenny Garrett on saxophone, Tim Williams on trombone and Peter Washington on bass. "My time with Art was incredible. You couldn't pay for that kind of tuition. Art was a kind and extremly generous band leader who really loved the artform he helped to create. He taught us all the diffrent aspects of running a band and encouraged us to pass this on to others, to keep the music alive."
NEXT:
Invited to teach for three months at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, Toussaint came to London in 1987 and still uses the capital as his base.
Since then he has released 8 CDs as a leader:
1. Impressions of Coltrane (September Records)
2. What Goes Around (World Circuit Records)
3. Whose Blues (Ronnie Scotts Jazz House Records)
4. Life I Want (New Note Records)
5. Back To Back w Hugh Fraser (Jazz Focus Records)
6. The Street Above The Underground (Altone Records) BBC Jazz Awards CD of the year.
7. Blue Black (Space Time Records)
8. Continuum 'Act One' (Space Time Records) in collaboration with Gary Bartz, Donald Brown, Bill Mobley, Billy Killson and Esiet Esiet
Collaborations with musicians based in the UK have included Julian Joseph, Jason Rebello, Cleveland Watkiss, Tony Remy, Orphy Robinson, Bheki Mseleku, Troy Miller and many others.
NOW:
Toussaint continues to work the festivals, clubs and concert halls around Europe with his Quartet, as a guest soloist and with other artists. His most recent collaboration is a duo with Benin guitarist Lionel Loueke (of Herbie Hancock fame). "Lionel is, instrumentally and vocally, a new direction in jazz. I really enjoy his flow cause it's never predictable and always musical."
Toussaint is also an experienced jazz educator, teaching at The Guildhall School of Music and Drama, Trinity College of Music and Birmingham Conservatoire, as well as on various workshops, most recently the London Philarmonic Orchestra.
JEAN TOUSSAINT HAS WORKED WITH:
ART BLAKEY HORACE SILVER RALPH PETERSON
MAX ROACH ROY AYERS BILLY KILLSON
ABDULLAH IBRAHIM DAVID MURRAY DONALD HARRISON
GIL EVANS KIRK LIGHTSEY DONALD BROWN
WYNTON MARSALIS TERENCE BLANCHARD GARY BARTZ
McCOY TYNER MULGREW MILLER THE JAZZ CRUSADERS (W. HENDERSON)
CEDAR WALTON KENNY KIRKLAND JEFF 'TAIN' WATTS
JULIAN JOSEPH LONNIE PLAXICO ESIET ESIET
BILL MOBLEY BIG JOHN PATTON LIONEL LOUEKE.
TOUSSAINT'S PROFILE: .
". class material, matured over the years and now bursting out of the cask. Single malt with a vengeance." JAZZ EXPRESS
". Toussaint displays a beautiful incisive tone that you can only compare to liquid crystal." TIME OUT
". Toussaint has . found a language that gracefully spans the gap between straight jazz and funk - it makes for some of his best playing." THE GUARDIAN
". This record. contains brilliance, wit ,verve and memorable, elegant sax lines."
THE TIMES
". The pleasures of this substantial LP are too numerous to absorb at first hearing: recommendation enough to buy a copy." THE LONDON STANDARD
". his evolution from hard bopper to a player of considerable breadth and warmth has been an engaging axercise to witness." THE GUARDIAN
". a formidable amalgam of an album. to reflect Toussaint's hugh and broadly based creative talent." MORNING STAR
". Explosive and ruminative." THE TORONTO STAR
". En voila au moins un qui n'a pas ouiblie la grande lecon de Lester Young: le jazz, c'est d'abord l'art de raconter une histoire. Toussaint est un bon conteur."
LE NOUVEL O'BSERVATEUR
MyGen
Profile Generator
width="425" height="350">
>
Your Birthdate: July 27
You are a spiritual soul - a person who tries to find meaning in everything.
You spend a good amount of time meditating, trying to figure out life.
Helping others is also important to you. You enjoy social activities with that goal.
You are very generous and giving. Yet you expect very little in return.
Your strength: Getting along with anyone and everyone
Your weakness: Needing a good amount of downtime to recharge
Your power color: Cobalt blue
Your power symbol: Dove
Your power month: September
What Does Your Birth Date Mean?
