Biography
Earl Coleman, a skilled ballad interpreter whose resonant baritone reflected the influence of Billy Eckstine, secured a lasting place in jazz history through his 1947 recordings of “This Is Always” and “Dark Shadows,” supported by Charlie Parker. Earlier associations had placed him with Jay McShann in 1943 and Earl Hines in 1944. Even though “This Is Always” registered as a minor hit, Coleman never achieved broad acceptance and stayed relatively little known for most of his working life. Sporadic later dates found him alongside Fats Navarro in 1948, then with Art Farmer and Sonny Rollins in 1956, as well as on his own projects that included two Xanadu sessions from 1977 and 1979 and a Stash album issued in 1984.
Albums
