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1/ Someone jokingly commented that Liebman-Grossman sounded like a law firm!! For sure we were tight in the early 70s, even trading the saxophone chairs with the Elvin Jones' and Miles Davis’ Groups. We WERE the happening sax players in the early ‘70s rooted in first generation
2/ post-Coltrane. Steve was the most talented of the “Jewish mafia” (Mike Brecker, Bob Berg, Grossman and myself). Legend has it that Steve’s older trumpet-playing brother got him into practicing and transcribing at first Bird, followed by Trane. By the time Steve was 15 years
3/ old, he sounded more like the originals than they did. Plus he played more than acceptable drums, bass and piano. With Miles, Steve was replacing Wayne Shorter, a pretty heavy load for an 18 year old guy. Musically, he and I were trying to deal with pentatonics & chromaticism
4/ pushing the tenor into other sonic areas. We played quite a bit of free jazz in my midtown loft during those years. For a time we even roomed together. The next decades found Steve doing one-nighters and the like in Europe, kind of slipping through the New York jazz cracks.
5/ He got into Newk, while staying the course of upholding the bebop tradition. We had a lot of fun together, especially in Elvin’s group with the addition of bassist Gene Perla. The ”Live At The Lighthouse” recording remains as a testament to Steve and myself reaching forth.
6/ Talking raw talent, that was Steve Grossman to the tee!
