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What is a "Sideman"?
In jazz parlance, a sideman is a master-level musician who can render the Great American Songbook—and the wider jazz book—in all 12 keys, at any workable tempo, often by ear and from memory. They read and transpose on the fly, lock the time, shape the feel, and make the leader and the song shine. This is a vanishing craft, held by a dwindling number of masters. It deserves to be recorded, taught, and preserved—before it’s lost.
SIDEMAN is a non-profit film, funded and produced by the SOWAL Foundation.
About Steve
Steve Gilmore is a three-time Grammy®-winning jazz bassist whose deep time, big sound, and unshakable musicality have powered household names for decades. Best known for his long run with the Phil Woods Quartet, he’s also shared stages and studios with Dizzy Gillespie, Chet Baker, Art Blakey, Philly Joe Jones, Sonny Stitt, Freddie Hubbard and more.
Beyond jazz, his bass has supported icons across genres—including Tony Bennett, Tom Waits, Bernadette Peters, Rosemary Clooney, Mel Tormé, Les Paul, and Dave Matthews. Throughout a nearly seven-decade career, he’s been the rare musician whose name stays modest while his influence echoes across modern jazz. A lifelong “sideman” in title but never in impact, Steve’s artistry has quietly lifted legends and defined what a great bassist does: make everyone around him sound immortal.
VIEW STEVE'S "PARTNERS IN TIME" GALLERY
In the jazz idiom, Steve Gilmore is the standard of excellence in jazz bass - an icon.
Bob Lark
Jazz Studies Chair,
DePaul University
Steve Gilmore is not only a world-class bassist, he's someone who teaches how to survive in the professional world of music.
Albert Hamme,
Professor Emeritus,
Department of Music,
Binghamton University
In many musicians' opinions, Steve is one of the top ten bassists in the world.
Patrick Dorian,
Professor of Music, University of Pennsylvania