Steve Slagle

This article contains promotional content. (March 2024)

Slagle was born in Los Angeles and grew up in suburban Philadelphia. He received a scholarship to the Berklee College of Music and received a master's degree in Music From Manhattan School of Music. He came to New York in 1976, first working with Machito and his Afro-Cuban orchestra, and then recorded with Ray Barretto, Steve Kuhn, Lionel Hampton, Brother Jack McDuff, and Carla Bley. He also performed and traveled with Woody Herman and Cab Calloway. In the mid-1980s, he began leading his own combos, first with Mike Stern and Jaco Pastorius, and then with Dave Stryker. ^[1] During the 1990s, he featured in the Charles Mingus Big Band, Slagle did twelve arrangements for the Mingus band which were nominated for and received Grammy Awards and are still played worldwide.^[2] He has also played frequently with Joe Lovano and has featured on several of Lovano's albums, including the Grammy-winning 52nd Street Themes.^[3]

In the mid-1980s, global and especially Latin influences inflected Slagle's work, and he appeared on albums by Milton Nascimento and recorded Rio Highlife in Brazil. He toured frequently during the 1990s and 2000s, especially in Europe, Japan, and South America.^[4] New New York, his 2000 release, has been seen as an evocation of the city's mood on the verge of 9/11 and an expression of Slagle's love for the city he has made his home. He has played with such diverse artists as Milton Nascimento, St. Vincent, Elvis Costello, the Beastie Boys, and Mac Rebennack (aka Dr. John). Slagle has taught at the Manhattan School of Music, Rutgers, The New School, NYU, and clinics through the Thelonious Monk Institute as well as the Mingus Jazz Workshop and master classes and clinics worldwide.

Slagle recorded his composition “Hopewells Last” in 2007, and subsequently arranged it for the VJO Big Band in Sweden. ^[5]

In 2015, Slagle's duo recording with pianist Bill O'Connell, a tribute album to Kenny Drew Jr. was released as The Power of Two. In February 2016, Routes (by the Stryker/Slagle Band-Expanded) was released. It was produced by Rick Simpson, with 4-horn arrangements by Slagle. Routes reached #2 on the national radio charts.^[6]

Since 2016, all of Slagle's records have been produced by Rick Simpson; Alto Manhattan (2017) Dedication (2018) Spirit Calls (2019) Alive In Harlem (2020) Nascentia, (2021) and Into The Heart Of It. (2022). Those recordings have appeared on the USA//Canada jazz radio charts, some of them charting at number one for many weeks.^[7][8] Slagle plays and endorses Yanagisawa saxophones — the WO-10 alto saxophone and S9930 soprano saxophone. He has also been a long-time player of Haynes flutes. On tenor sax, he plays a mid-1960s Selmer Mark VI, and on baritone sax, a 1947 Silver Conn.

In 2011, Slagle published a composition and improvisation workbook for the creative musician, including stories about his life, in "Scenes, Songs and Solos" (Schaffner Press).^[9]

His compositions are published with Slagle Music, BMI.