George Coleman Jr. was born into a musical family. As a drummer, producer, composer, filmmaker, and son of two musical jazz greats, saxophone legend George Coleman Sr. and organist, composer and vocalist, Gloria Coleman, he was seven when master drummer Max Roach gave him his first set of drums. George studied with master teachers including Sam Ulano, Michael Carvin and Billy Higgins.
In 2019, George took on the role of film producer and released a documentary entitled “Another Kind of Soul: The Coleman Family Legacy”. The film chronicles his family’s personal and musical histories and includes concert footage as well as interviews with his family and other iconic jazz figures including Branford Marsalis. Another Kind of Soul is available on various streaming services including Amazon, iTunes, Google Play, and Tubi TV. He has also released a new record as a leader entitled Resurgence.
In this episode, George talks about
- His dad’s jazz legacy that began in Memphis
- The influence of his mother who was a bassist and organist
- Being surrounded by Latin music in his childhood neighborhood in the Upper West Side
- Making his album a culmination of all his mentors
- What he learned about music from his dad vs. his mom
- What he learned and continues to learn from Michael Carvin
- How music has served as a between him and his dad later in life
