STEVE HECKMAN
Genres: Hard Bop, Post Bop • United States

Steve Heckman was born in Brooklyn, NY, near the neighborhoods where saxophonists Dave Liebman, Steve Grossman, Bob Berg, and Eddie Daniels all came up. Steve was exposed to the best jazz in the world during one of jazz’s most creative periods, the mid-1960’s. He began clarinet at 12, and alto and tenor sax at 15, ultimately choosing tenor as his favorite. Over the years he has also added soprano and baritone sax, bass clarinet, and flutes (C, alto, and bass flute). He has written over 125 original jazz compositions. He is self-taught in improvisation, but thanks teachers Allen Fields, Ray Musiker and Carmine Caruso for assistance in the theoretical and technical grounding necessary to play decent jazz. The most significant spark to set his spirit on fire with love and enthusiasm for jazz was when, at age 15, he first heard the music of John Coltrane: Worlds split open, and he read more...