The first fortuitous clue to Stephen's musical future came about in a most bizarre fashion. One late spring day, when he was about eleven years old, our parents were informed that Stephen had not been attending school for over a week. Although they were alarmed, since Stephen had been leaving the house each morning ostensibly for school, our mother thought it wiser for our dad to follow their son on the next school day to catch him in the act instead of confronting him at home.
After shadowing his son's peculiar route of short-cuts, and having to tell a startled jitney driver to "follow that bus!", our father discovered Stephen laying happily in the grass at Grant Park, listening to the Chicago Symphony Orchestra rehearse.
Some of the highlights of his musical career include developing the foundations of the AACM at our mother's kitchen table with Muhal Richard Abrams, Phil Cohran, and others.
He'd played with most of the great musical talents of our time such as Lester Young, Sonny Stitt, Dexter Gordon, Don Byas, Cecil Taylor, Marion Brown, Arthur Blythe, David Murray, Rahsaan Roland Kirk and Sun Ra, to name a few. He played with poets Imamu Baraka and Ntozake Shange, and worked in the legitimate theatre with Oscar Brown, Jr. in several predictions including "Big Time Buck White" and Summer in the City." He played in great auditoriums such as Carnegie Hall in New York, but had just as much fun playing the Moosehead Bar & Grill in Chicago. He put his heart and soul into every performance.
While living in Paris, France, Steve made several movies. He also journeyed to Africa and made documentary film. AIR, the prolific trio of Fred Hopkins, Henry Threadgill and Steve McCall is already a legend having made innovative breakthroughs musically and winning many awards including "best jazz album of the year" with Downbeat in 1978 for their ragtime album (which honored the great Scott Joplin).
Steve considered himself a student of life although he was a consummate teacher. He was proficient in several subjects, particularly African American and African History.
He knew love well as it was displayed in his warmth; his sharing and caring. This was his legacy and music was his soul's existence.
HE LIVES!
