A native of Chicago, Illinois, saxophonist Steve Cole is one of the most celebrated players in contemporary jazz, having sold hundreds of thousands of albums worldwide and scored five #1 R&R Smooth Jazz hits. He attended Northwestern University, where he explored modern classical music for the saxophone under the tutelage of internationally recognized educator Fred Hemke. While in undergraduate school, this gifted musician was a semi-finalist in the National Foundation for the Advancement in the Arts and one of three finalists in the Chicago Symphony Orchestra Concerto Competition and was awarded the privilege of performing Tableaux De Provence by Paule Maurice with the Orchestra. Cole went on to earn his MBA at the University of Chicago, Booth School of business, which paved the way in his being appointed to Professor Music Business Management at Columbia College Chicago before coming to McNally Smith College. The artist has seven CDs in his catalog and has previously recorded for Atlantic, Warner Brothers, Shanachie and EMI/Blue Note. Recently Steve signed a multiple album deal with Mack Avenue/Artistry Music. The first project for the label entitled Moonlight is a collection of classic pop songs and standards set amidst an orchestral backdrop. The project includes such iconic songs as The Look of Love, Cry Me a River, The Long and Winding Road (Beatles) and Close Your Eyes (James Taylor) to name a few. In addition to the strings, the arrangements include tastefully placed harp, woodwinds and tempered brass. The supporting rhythm section is comprised of Mike Logan (Will Downing) on keyboards, Russell Ferrante (Yellowjackets) piano and Steve Rodby (Pat Metheny Group) on bass. The string arrangements were provided by the very talented composer/arranger Michael Cunningham. Cole began his professional career, playing sessions and club dates wherever possible; he recorded with blues legend Junior Wells and began playing, writing and producing with Atlantic Records artists Brian Culbertson. His visibility at the label grew, and soon Cole signed his own deal with Atlantic. He released his debut disc, Stay Awhile, in 1998; it yielded the hits “Where the Night Begins,” “When I Think of You” and “Say It Again” and earned Cole a Prism Award for Best New Artist at the 2000 Oasis Smooth Jazz Awards. Additionally, Steve has toured and/or recording with Boz Scaggs, Larry Carlton, Jeff Lorber Brian Culbertson, Freddie Cole, Cyrus Chestnut, KMFDM, Rick Braun and is a founding member, along with Jeff Kashiwa and Kim Waters of The Sax Pack. An accomplished Musician, Writer and Producer, Steve is currently under contract as a recording artist with Mack Avenue/Artistry Music, and as a writer with Universal Music Publishing where he has published over 50 works.