Idrees Sulieman

Idrees Sulieman

Idrees Sulieman (August 7, 1923, in St. Petersburg, Florida – July 23, 2002 in St. Petersburg, FL) was a bop and hard bop trumpeter. He studied at Boston Conservatory, and gained early experience playing with the Carolina Cotton Pickers and the wartime Earl Hines Orchestra (1943–1944). Sulieman was closely associated with Mary Lou Williams for a time and had stints with Cab Calloway, John Coltrane, Count Basie, and Lionel Hampton. Sulieman recorded with Coleman Hawkins (1957) and gigged with Randy Weston (1958–1959), in addition to popping up in many other situations. He went to Europe in 1961 to tour with Oscar Dennard, and then settled in Stockholm, moving to Copenhagen in 1964. A major soloist with The Kenny Clarke-Francy Boland Big Band from the mid-'60s through 1973, Sulieman frequently worked with radio orchestras. His recordings as a leader were for Swedish Columbia (1964) and SteepleChase (1976 and 1985). In 1985, he played in the big band in Miles Davis' album "Aura," which was released in 1989. Sulieman's career slowed down considerably in the '90s as he aged. He died of bladder cancer on July 23, 2002 at St. Anthony's Hospital in St. Petersburg, Florida.

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