Charles Tolliver

With his bold tone and adroit harmonic ideas, trumpeter Charles Tolliver has distinguished himself as a forward-thinking performer, often straddling the line between hard bop lyricism and avant-garde exploration. Following his initial emergence in the 1960s as a member of altoist Jackie McLean's group, Tolliver came into his own as a leader, on par with his trumpet contemporaries Woody Shaw and Freddie Hubbard. Collaborating regularly with pianist Stanley Cowell, he moved from small group dates like 1969's The Ringer to expansive big-band albums such as 1975's Impact, featurin...