Idrees Sulieman (August 7, 1923 – July 23, 2002) was an American bop and

hard bop Hard bop is a subgenre of jazz that is an extension of bebop (or "bop") music. Journalists and record companies began using the term in the mid-1950s to describe a new current within jazz that incorporated influences from rhythm and blues, gosp ...

trumpeter The trumpet is a brass instrument commonly used in classical and jazz ensembles. The trumpet group ranges from the piccolo trumpet—with the highest register in the brass family—to the bass trumpet, pitched one octave below the standard ...

Biography

He was born Leonard Graham in St. Petersburg, Florida, United States, later changing his name to Idrees Sulieman, after converting to Islam. He studied at the Boston Conservatory, and gained early experience playing with the Carolina Cotton Pickers and the wartime Earl Hines Orchestra (1943–1944). On October 15, 1947, he played on

Thelonious Monk Thelonious Sphere Monk (, October 10, 1917 – February 17, 1982) was an American jazz pianist and composer. He had a unique improvisational style and made numerous contributions to the standard jazz repertoire, including " 'Round Midnight", ...

's first recording for

Blue Note Records Blue Note Records is an American jazz record label owned by Universal Music Group and operated under Capitol Music Group. Established in 1939 by Alfred Lion and Max Margulis, it derived its name from the blue notes of jazz and the blues. Or ...

. Sulieman was closely associated with

Mary Lou Williams Mary Lou Williams (born Mary Elfrieda Scruggs; May 8, 1910 – May 28, 1981) was an American jazz pianist, arranger, and composer. She wrote hundreds of compositions and arrangements and recorded more than one hundred records (in 78, 45, an ...

and for a time and had stints with

Cab Calloway Cabell Calloway III (December 25, 1907 – November 18, 1994) was an American singer, songwriter, bandleader, conductor and dancer. He was associated with the Cotton Club in Harlem, where he was a regular performer and became a popular vocali ...

John Coltrane John William Coltrane (September 23, 1926 – July 17, 1967) was an American jazz saxophonist, bandleader and composer. He is among the most influential and acclaimed figures in the history of jazz and 20th-century music. Born and rai ...

Count Basie William James "Count" Basie (; August 21, 1904 – April 26, 1984) was an American jazz pianist, organist, bandleader, and composer. In 1935, he formed the Count Basie Orchestra, and in 1936 took them to Chicago for a long engagement and th ...

, and

Lionel Hampton Lionel Leo Hampton (April 20, 1908 – August 31, 2002) was an American jazz vibraphonist, pianist, percussionist, and bandleader. Hampton worked with jazz musicians from Teddy Wilson, Benny Goodman, and Buddy Rich, to Charlie Parker, Charle ...

. Sulieman recorded with

Coleman Hawkins Coleman Randolph Hawkins (November 21, 1904 – May 19, 1969), nicknamed "Hawk" and sometimes "Bean", was an American jazz tenor saxophonist.Yanow, Scot"Coleman Hawkins: Artist Biography" AllMusic. Retrieved December 27, 2013. One of the first p ...

(1957) and gigged with

Randy Weston Randolph Edward "Randy" Weston (April 6, 1926 – September 1, 2018) was an American jazz pianist and composer whose creativity was inspired by his ancestral African connection. Weston's piano style owed much to Duke Ellington and Thelonious M ...

(1958–1959), in addition to appearing in many other situations. He toured Europe in 1961 with Oscar Dennard, and stayed, settling in Stockholm at first, and then moved to

Copenhagen Copenhagen ( or .; da, København ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a proper population of around 815.000 in the last quarter of 2022; and some 1.370,000 in the urban area; and the wider Copenhagen metropolitan ar ...

in 1964. A soloist with the Kenny Clarke/Francy Boland Big Band from the mid-1960s through 1973, Sulieman frequently worked with radio orchestras. His recordings as a leader were for Swedish Columbia (1964) and SteepleChase (1976 and 1985). In 1985, he was among the performers on

Miles Davis Miles Dewey Davis III (May 26, 1926September 28, 1991) was an American trumpeter, bandleader, and composer. He is among the most influential and acclaimed figures in the history of jazz and 20th-century music. Davis adopted a variety of musi ...

' album, ''

Aura Aura most commonly refers to: * Aura (paranormal), a field of luminous multicolored radiation around a person or object * Aura (symptom), a symptom experienced before a migraine or seizure Aura may also refer to: Places Extraterrestrial * 1488 ...

'', which was not released until 1989. Sulieman's career slowed down considerably in the 1990s.

Death

He died of bladder cancer on July 23, 2002 at St. Anthony's Hospital in St. Petersburg, Florida, at the age of 78.

Discography

As leader

* ''

Three Trumpets ''Three Trumpets'' is an album by the Prestige All Stars nominally led by trumpeters Art Farmer, Donald Byrd and Idrees Sulieman, recorded in 1957 and released on the New Jazz label.Donald Byrd Donaldson Toussaint L'Ouverture Byrd II (December 9, 1932 – February 4, 2013) was an American jazz and rhythm & blues trumpeter and vocalist. A sideman for many other jazz musicians of his generation, Byrd was one of the few hard bop m ...

and

Art Farmer Arthur Stewart Farmer (August 21, 1928 – October 4, 1999) was an American jazz trumpeter and flugelhorn player. He also played flumpet, a trumpet–flugelhorn combination especially designed for him. He and his identical twin brother, doubl ...

* '' Interplay for 2 Trumpets and 2 Tenors'' (Prestige, 1957) with

, Bobby Jaspar and Webster Young *'' Roots'' (New Jazz, 1957) with the Prestige All Stars *''

Americans in Europe ''Americans in Europe'' is the title of two live albums by American jazz musicians recorded in West Germany in 1963 and released on the Impulse! label.

'' (Impulse!, 1963) with Various Artists *'' The Camel'' (Columbia, 1964) with Jamila Sulieman * ''

Now Is the Time ''Now Is the Time'' is the second studio album by Alanis Morissette, released only in Canada on October 20, 1992. It was her final album for MCA Records Canada. Morissette recorded the album with Leslie Howe, who produced her debut album, '' A ...

'' ( SteepleChase, 1976) with

Cedar Walton Cedar Anthony Walton Jr. (January 17, 1934 – August 19, 2013) was an American hard bop jazz pianist. He came to prominence as a member of drummer Art Blakey's band, The Jazz Messengers, before establishing a long career as a bandleader and ...

, Sam Jones,

Billy Higgins Billy Higgins (October 11, 1936 – May 3, 2001) was an American jazz drummer. He played mainly free jazz and hard bop. Biography Higgins was born in Los Angeles, California, United States. Higgins played on Ornette Coleman's first records, b ...

* ''

Bird's Grass ''Bird's Grass'' is a studio album by trumpeter Idrees Sulieman recorded in 1976 but not released on the SteepleChase Records, SteepleChase label until 1985.

'' (SteepleChase, 1976 985 with

Horace Parlan Horace Parlan (January 19, 1931 – February 23, 2017) was an American pianist and composer known for working in the hard bop and post-bop styles of jazz. In addition to his work as a bandleader Parlan was known for his contributions to the Cha ...

Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen (, 27 May 1946 – 19 April 2005), also known by his abbreviated nickname NHØP, was a Danish jazz double bassist. Biography Pedersen was born in Osted, near Roskilde, on the Danish island of Zealand, the son of ...

Kenny Clarke Kenneth Clarke Spearman (January 9, 1914January 26, 1985), nicknamed Klook, was an American jazz drummer and bandleader. A major innovator of the bebop style of drumming, he pioneered the use of the ride cymbal to keep time rather than the hi-h ...

* '' Groovin''' (SteepleChase, 1985) with Horace Parlan

As sideman

With

Gene Ammons Eugene "Jug" Ammons (April 14, 1925 – August 6, 1974), also known as "The Boss", was an American jazz tenor saxophonist. The son of boogie-woogie pianist Albert Ammons, Gene Ammons is remembered for his accessible music, steeped in soul and ...

*''

Jammin' in Hi Fi with Gene Ammons ''Jammin' in Hi Fi with Gene Ammons'' (also rereleased as ''The Twister'') is an album by saxophonist Gene Ammons recorded in 1957 and released on the Prestige label.

'' (Prestige, 1957) *'' Blue Gene'' (Prestige, 1958) With

Art Blakey Arthur Blakey (October 11, 1919 – October 16, 1990) was an American jazz drummer and bandleader. He was also known as Abdullah Ibn Buhaina after he converted to Islam for a short time in the late 1940s. Blakey made a name for himself in the ...

*'' Art Blakey Big Band'' (Bethlehem, 1957) With Clifford Brown *''

Memorial A memorial is an object or place which serves as a focus for the memory or the commemoration of something, usually an influential, deceased person or a historical, tragic event. Popular forms of memorials include landmark objects or works of ...

'' (Prestige, 1953) With

Teddy Charles Teddy Charles (April 13, 1928 – April 16, 2012) was an American jazz musician and composer, whose instruments were the vibraphone, piano, and drums. Career Born Theodore Charles Cohen in Chicopee Falls, Massachusetts, United States, he ...

*''

Coolin' ''Coolin is an album by the Prestige All Stars nominally led by vibraphonist Teddy Charles recorded in 1957 and released on the Prestige label.Cohan, N.Teddy Charles discography accessed March 30, 2015 Reception Allmusic reviewed the album stati ...

'' (New Jazz, 1957) With the Kenny Clarke/Francy Boland Big Band *''

Handle with Care A handle is a part of, or attachment to, an object that allows it to be grasped and object manipulation, manipulated by hand. The design of each type of handle involves substantial ergonomics, ergonomic issues, even where these are dealt wit ...

'' (Atlantic, 1963) *'' Now Hear Our Meanin''' (Columbia, 1963

965 Year 965 ( CMLXV) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events By place Byzantine Empire * Arab–Byzantine War: Emperor Nikephoros II conquers the fortress cities of Tar ...

*'' Sax No End'' (SABA, 1967) *''

Out of the Folk Bag ''Out of the Folk Bag'' is an album by the Kenny Clarke/Francy Boland Big Band featuring performances recorded in Cologne in 1967 for the German Columbia label.17 Men and Their Music'' (Campi, 1967) *'' All Smiles'' (MPS, 1968) *'' Faces'' (MPS, 1968) *''

Latin Kaleidoscope ''Latin Kaleidoscope'' is an album by the Kenny Clarke/Francy Boland Big Band featuring performances recorded in Germany in 1968 and released on the MPS label in Europe and also released in the US on Prestige Records. Reception AllMusic awarded ...

'' (MPS, 1968) *''

Fellini 712 ''Fellini 712'' is an album by the Kenny Clarke/Francy Boland Big Band featuring performances recorded in Germany in 1969 and released on the MPS label. Reception AllMusic awarded the album 3 stars.

'' (MPS, 1969) *'' All Blues'' (MPS, 1969) *'' More Smiles'' (MPS, 1969) *''

Clarke Boland Big Band en Concert avec Europe 1 ''Clarke Boland Big Band en Concert avec Europe 1'' is a live album by the Kenny Clarke/Francy Boland Big Band featuring a performance recorded in Paris in 1969, originally broadcast on Europe 1 and released on the Tréma label in 1992.

'' (Tréma, 1969 992 With

Don Byas Carlos Wesley "Don" Byas (October 21, 1912 – August 24, 1972) was an American jazz tenor saxophonist, associated with swing and bebop. He played with Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Art Blakey, and Dizzy Gillespie, among others, and also led ...

Bud Powell Earl Rudolph "Bud" Powell (September 27, 1924 – July 31, 1966) was an American jazz pianist and composer. Along with Charlie Parker, Thelonious Monk, Kenny Clarke and Dizzy Gillespie, Powell was a leading figure in the development of mod ...

*''A Tribute To Cannonball'' (Columbia 1962) With

*''

'' (Columbia, 1985) With

Eric Dolphy Eric Allan Dolphy Jr. (June 20, 1928 – June 29, 1964) was an American jazz alto saxophonist, bass clarinetist and flautist. On a few occasions, he also played the clarinet and piccolo. Dolphy was one of several multi-instrumentalists to ...

*'' Stockholm Sessions'' (Enja, 1961) With

Tommy Flanagan Thomas Lee Flanagan (March 16, 1930 – November 16, 2001) was an American jazz pianist and composer. He grew up in Detroit, initially influenced by such pianists as Art Tatum, Teddy Wilson, and Nat King Cole, and then by bebop musicians. ...

*''

The Cats ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in ...

'' (New Jazz, 1957) With

Dexter Gordon Dexter Gordon (February 27, 1923 – April 25, 1990) was an American jazz tenor saxophonist, composer, bandleader, and actor. He was among the most influential early bebop musicians, which included other greats such as Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gi ...

*'' More Than You Know'' (SteepleChase, 1975) With

Friedrich Gulda Friedrich Gulda (16 May 1930 – 27 January 2000) was an Austrian pianist and composer who worked in both the classical and jazz fields. Biography Early life and career Born in Vienna the son of a teacher, Gulda began learning to play the piano ...

*''Friedrich Gulda at Birdland'' (RCA Victor, 1957) *''A Man of Letters'' (Decca, 1957) With

*''

The Hawk Flies High ''The Hawk Flies High'' is a 1957 album by jazz tenor saxophonist Coleman Hawkins. Apart from Barry Galbraith and Jo Jones on guitar and drums, the line-up of his accompanying sextet had a bebop background, namely J.J. Johnson on trombone, Idrees ...

'' (Riverside, 1957) With

Joe Henderson Joe Henderson (April 24, 1937 – June 30, 2001) was an American jazz tenor saxophonist. In a career spanning more than four decades, Henderson played with many of the leading American players of his day and recorded for several prominent l ...

*''

Big Band A big band or jazz orchestra is a type of musical ensemble of jazz music that usually consists of ten or more musicians with four sections: saxophones, trumpets, trombones, and a rhythm section. Big bands originated during the early 1910s ...

'' (Verve, 1992–96) With Bobby Jaspar *''Bobby Jaspar'' (Riverside, 1957) With

Thad Jones Thaddeus Joseph Jones (March 28, 1923 – August 20, 1986) was an American jazz trumpeter, composer, and bandleader who has been called "one of the all-time greatest jazz trumpet soloists". Biography Thad Jones was born in Pontiac, Michigan, ...

*''Live at the Montmartre: A Good Time Was Had by All'' (Storyville, 1978) With

Carmen McRae Carmen Mercedes McRae (April 8, 1920 – November 10, 1994) was an American jazz singer. She is considered one of the most influential jazz vocalists of the 20th century and is remembered for her behind-the-beat phrasing and ironic interpre ...

*''

November Girl ''November Girl'' is an album by vocalist Carmen McRae and the Kenny Clarke/Francy Boland Big Band recorded in London in 1970 and originally released on the Black Lion label in 1975.Thelonious Monk Thelonious Sphere Monk (, October 10, 1917 – February 17, 1982) was an American jazz pianist and composer. He had a unique improvisational style and made numerous contributions to the standard jazz repertoire, including " 'Round Midnight", ...

*''

Genius of Modern Music ''Genius of Modern Music: Volume 1'' is the name given to at least four different compilation albums by jazz pianist Thelonious Monk. Each version comprises some of Monk's first recordings as band leader for Blue Note, recorded in 1947 (and som ...

, Vol. 1'' (Blue Note, 1947) With

*''

Arrival Arrival(s) or The Arrival(s) may refer to: Film * ''The Arrival'' (1991 film), an American science fiction horror film * ''The Arrival'' (1996 film), an American-Mexican science fiction horror film * ''Arrival'' (film), a 2016 American science ...

'' (SteepleChase, 1973) With

Max Roach Maxwell Lemuel Roach (January 10, 1924 – August 16, 2007) was an American jazz drummer and composer. A pioneer of bebop, he worked in many other styles of music, and is generally considered one of the most important drummers in history. He wo ...

*'' The Max Roach Quartet featuring Hank Mobley'' (Debut, 1953) With

Sahib Shihab Sahib Shihab (born Edmund Gregory; June 23, 1925 – October 24, 1989) was an American jazz and hard bop saxophonist (baritone, alto, and soprano) and flautist. He variously worked with Luther Henderson, Thelonious Monk, Fletcher Henderson, Tad ...

*'' Companionship'' (Vogue Schallplatten, 1964-70

971 Year 971 ( CMLXXI) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events By place Byzantine Empire * Battle of Dorostolon: A Byzantine expeditionary army (possibly 30–40,000 men ...

With

Mal Waldron Malcolm Earl "Mal" Waldron (August 16, 1925 – December 2, 2002) was an American jazz pianist, composer, and arranger. He started playing professionally in New York in 1950, after graduating from college. In the following dozen years or so Wa ...

*''

Mal-1 ''Mal-1'' is the debut album by American jazz pianist Mal Waldron. It was recorded in November 1956 and released on the Prestige Records, Prestige label in May 1957.

'' (Prestige, 1956) *'' Mal-2'' (Prestige, 1957) With

*'' Little Niles'' (United Artists, 1958) *'' Spirits of Our Ancestors'' (Verve, 1991) With

Ernie Wilkins Ernest Brooks Wilkins Jr. (July 20, 1922 – June 5, 1999) was an American jazz saxophonist, conductor and arranger who spent several years with Count Basie. He also wrote for Tommy Dorsey, Harry James, and Dizzy Gillespie. He was musical dire ...

*''

Top Brass ''Top Brass'' (subtitled ''Featuring 5 Trumpets'') is an album by American jazz composer and arranger Ernie Wilkins featuring performances recorded in 1955 and first released on the Savoy label.

'' (Savoy, 1955) With

Lester Young Lester Willis Young (August 27, 1909 – March 15, 1959), nicknamed "Pres" or "Prez", was an American jazz tenor saxophonist and occasional clarinetist. Coming to prominence while a member of Count Basie's orchestra, Young was one of the most i ...

*''Masters of Jazz'' (Storyville, 1951–56)

References

External links

*
Curt's Jazz Café: Obscure Trumpet Masters #9 -- Idrees Sulieman
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sulieman, Idrees 1923 births 2002 deaths American jazz trumpeters American male trumpeters Bebop trumpeters Hard bop trumpeters Musicians from St. Petersburg, Florida SteepleChase Records artists Prestige Records artists 20th-century American musicians American Ahmadis American Muslims 20th-century trumpeters Deaths from cancer in Florida Deaths from bladder cancer DR Big Band members 20th-century American male musicians American male jazz musicians Kenny Clarke/Francy Boland Big Band members Converts to Islam