Saxophonist Steve Cole

Craft cocktails and small plates begin at 5:30pm.

Middle C Jazz has General Admission seating available on a first-come basis. We also offer preferred seating for our Baby Grand members. 

Saxophonist Steve Cole is one of the most celebrated players in contemporary jazz.  The Chicago native exploded onto the scene in 1998 with the album “Stay Awhile” that was produced by fellow Chicagoan Brian Culbertson. The disc scored multiple #1 hits and earned Cole the Oasis Smooth Jazz Award for best new artist shortly before his sophomore set, “Between Us,” was released in 2000. His catchy singles made him an instant radio favorite and he cranked them out with regularity on subsequent albums “NY LA” (2003), “Spin” (2005), “True” (2006), “Moonlight” (2009), “True” (2013), “Turn It Up” (2016), “Gratitude” (2019) , and his newest release “Without A Doubt” (2023)

 Cole grew up on a diet of bebop blended with pop radio hits, and honed his skills on the diverse 1990s Chicago music scene, where he was called on to play everything from jazz to funk to gospel to rock to R&B and soul.  All of those experiences come into play on Cole’s exhilarating new album, Without a Doubt. His first outing with producer and songwriter partner Adam Hawley, the album finds Cole taking the opportunity of this fresh start to approach his music with the open mind of a beginner and the confidence of a veteran at the top of his game. 

“That’s how I learned to play,” he recalls. “When I was just starting out as a kid, I would turn on pop radio and play along, adding sax solos to songs that didn’t have them. I still connect with that music on a fundamental level, and I hope that comes through on every record that I make. Without a Doubt  is no exception – it’s part of a continuing exploration into how I can continue the lineage of music that I’ve always connected with and create new and interesting variations based on my experience.”

Steve Cole and Adam Hawley co-wrote all ten tracks on Without a Doubt, most of them originating with Cole in what the saxophonist calls an unprecedented burst of creativity. “I went through a very prolific period where I came up with lots of really good ideas, but nothing was fully formed. I really liked the music that Adam was putting out, so I thought it would be fun to work with him. So I sent him my fragments and the ideas he sent back elevated them even more than I could have imagined. The whole process was a series of pleasant surprises.”