Orange Blossoms – Idrees Sulieman

This sensitive melody uses the changes of Body and Soul to create a completely new composition. Exclusive MP3s available: full audio track plus Minus You—choose your instrument and practice with the rest of the combo behind you!

Idrees Sulieman

August 7, 1923 – July 25, 2002

Idrees Sulieman was a bop and hard-bop trumpeter who achieved more success in Europe than the United States but left a worldwide legacy as a sideman on some of the most important recordings in jazz and as a composer of unusual, beautiful pieces. Born Leonard Graham in St. Petersburg, Florida, Idrees took up the trumpet when his father couldn't afford to buy him a saxophone. His passion for music brought him to the prestigious Boston Conservatory in the mid-1930s. Shortly after, he began his professional career playing with the Carolina Cotton Pickers in 1939 and the wartime Earl Hines Orchestra (1943-1944). The 1940s brought Idrees into the circles of some of the most important figures in jazz—he worked closely with Mary Lou Williams; had stints with Cab Calloway, Count Basie and Lionel Hampton; and was a sideman on Thelonious Monk's first session as a leader for Blue Note in 1947. Read more...

3 songs available.