Steve Allee
Pianist, Educator, Composer, & Big Band Leader
Inducted into the Indianapolis Jazz Hall of Fame in 2004
Steve is a Yamaha Performing Artist and has performed with Buddy Rich, Slide Hampton, James Moody, Benny Golson, Curtis Fuller, Milt Hinton, Jonathan Blake, J.C. Heard, Alan Dawson, Jimmy Cobb, Peter Erskine, Dave Liebman, Steve Houghton, Rufus Reid, Duduka DaFonseca, David Baker, Rusty Burge, Rob Dixon, Gary Bartz, Louis Hayes, Randy Brecker, Bobby Watson, Rob Dixon, Frank Glover, Chip McNeil, Bob Sheppard, Charlie Rouse, Ed Thigpen, Joe Lavano, Russell Webster, Alonzo ‘Pookie’ Johnson, Jimmy Coe, David Young, Virgil Jones, James Spaulding, Steve Wilson, Chuck Carter, Sean Jones, Ingrid Jensen, Joe Locke, Toninho Horta, Terell Stafford Jim Pugh and Sean Jones.
Steve has been a member of the Rufus Reid ‘Out Front Trio’ for 12 years. Their trio recording was on the ‘Jazz Week’ radio charts for 20 weeks including the #1 spot. He also performed on Rufus Reid’s Grammy Nominated ‘Quiet Pride’ Big Band Project on the Motema label.
Steve has opened for Bill Evans and Tony Bennett and performed for George HW Bush and Bill Clinton. Steve recently performed at the Chicago, Rochester, Skidmore, Montreal, Mid-Atlantic, Indy and Miami Jazz Festivals. Steve received a Marconi Award as Music Director for the nationally syndicated radio show, ‘The Bob and Tom Show’.
As a composer, Steve has written the soundtracks for the documentary, ‘New York in the Fifties’ and the film, ‘Something To Cheer About’. He composed ‘Passages’ a percussion concerto in 3 three movements. It was premiered in Washington D.C. with Steve Houghton, soloist and the U.S. Army’s ‘Pershings Own’ Wind Ensemble. Steve also composed ‘Myths of Pleiades’, a 3 movement piece for Jazz quartet featuring Gary Campbell and the Amernet String Quartet.
His TV film credits include, ‘Touched By an Angel’, Nash Bridges, Friends, Sex in the City, Everybody Loves Raymond, The Big Bang Theory, Mad About you and Sopranos Steve’s big band compositions have been performed multiple years by the Disneyland Honor All-Star Bands in Annaheim, CA. His songs have also featured in All – State Bands in Massachusetts, North Carolina, Indiana, Ohio and Wisconsin. His compositions are published by the Hal Leonard Corporation and IJazzMusic.com. Steve recently conducted the Ohio All State Band for the Ohio Music Educators Conference. His composition ‘Dragonfly was premiered in Washington DC and performed by the ‘US Army Blues’.
Steve’s latest writing project is a commission he received from the Indy Jazz Fest titled, ‘Vision and Legacy’, ‘A Tribute to Indy Jazz Mentors’.
This commission and performance will feature Steve’s big band and special guest artists, Frank glover & Sophie Faught. As an educator, he has been a professor of jazz studies at Indiana University, IU-PUI at Indianapolis, the University of Louisville, the University of Indianapolis and at the College Conservatory of Music, at the University of Cincinnati, Steve has performed nationally as a featured guest artist and conductor.
Steve was music director for the nationally syndicated, ‘Bob and Tom Show’ for 28 years.
Steve Allee
(September 14, 1950 - Present)
Steve, born in Indianapolis, IN, attended Ben Davis High School and Indiana University. He studied with arranger, Jim Edison and pianist Claude Sifferlen. He joined the Buddy Rich band at age 19 but was subsequently drafted into the U.S. Army. Upon release, he joined the Baron Von Ohlen Quartet and recorded ‘The Baron’ on Stan Kenton’s Creative World Label. 2 years later John Von Ohlen formed the Von Ohlen / Chuck Carter Big Band and Steve was a contributing writer. They recorded ‘Live’ on the MoPro label and later ‘Downtown Blues’ on the Seabreeze label.
Steve Allee
