MITCHELL COLEMAN JR. "SOUL SEARCHING"
After his mother gave him his first 4-string as a youngster, California
based veteran bass player Mitchell “Mitch” Coleman (a native of Cuba,
AL) spent most of his time practicing and evolving his technique,
eventually developing a unique style all his own. Even as a teen,
Coleman had been enthused and motivated by the artistry and skillfulness
of trumpeter Miles Davis and renowned bassists Marcus Miller, Stanley
Clarke, Mark Adams (founder of funk band Slave), Louis “Thunder Thumbs”
Johnson, and former Sly and the Family Stone alum and “Father of the
Thump” Larry Graham. But it was jazz-fusion virtuoso Jaco Pastorius who
influenced him the most. Jaco’s take-no-prisoners style inspired him to
remove all self-imposed limitations, while exploring the endless
possibilities his instrument presented. With such stellar role models to pull from, it’s no surprise that
Coleman’s love of funk, jazz and contemporary music continued to grow,
and he began to seriously hone his skills by performing live with local
groups while attending high school. He joined the United States Air
Force in 1985, and, after winning his first talent showcase for solo
performance, toured with the ‘Tops in Blue’ band. (He continues to work
closely with the ‘Air Force Showcase’ and the ‘Best of Talent’ show to
this day.) While stationed in Rome, NY, Coleman studied with local jazz
greats like Rick Montelbano (musical director for the late Lou Rawls),
and George Sessum (the Cabo Frio band). Ultimately settling in Los
Angeles in 1990, Coleman immersed himself in the city’s thriving music
scene, doing session work with other local musicians, while primarily
collaborating with producers Cario Johnson and Herman “Hollywood”
Dawkins. With the release of his first solo effort, “Soul Searching,” an
instrumental jazz/funk fusion collection that interweaves music inspired
by his much admired influences, Coleman has fulfilled a lifelong dream
of creating the music he hears in his heart and feels in his soul - and
sharing it with the world. The disc, independently released on Soul
Revelations Records, features some of L.A.’s funkiest players: his
long-time collaborator and “Soul Searching” co-producer, Hollywood
(pulling triple-duty on piano and vocals), Deron Johnson (formerly with
Miles Davis) is also on keyboards, Kayta Matsuno and Sean Fabian are on
guitar, Tim Anderson and Sal Avila are on saxophones, while industry
veterans and sisters, Pam and Joyce Vincent (formerly of Tony Orlando
and Dawn) and Jim Gilstrap (the “Good Times” TV show theme song singer)
perform background vocals along with newcomers Sean Thomas and Nodesha.
MITCHELL COLEMAN JR.
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