Smooth jazz saxophonist Steve Cole was born Steve Finckle on August 17, 1970, in Chicago, Illinois. The son of a musician who played both clarinet and saxophone, he initially studied classical music on clarinet but switched his focus to saxophone while he was in high school. A graduate of Northwestern University in Evanston, he studied economics and continued his classical saxophone studies, earning a master's degree at the University of Chicago, before becoming a professional musician. After choosing the tenor saxophone and pursuing jazz music, he joined guitarist Brian Culbertson’s group – Culbertson was also a native of Chicago - and also recorded his first solo album, Stay Awhile (1998). His immediate success as a smooth jazz artist led to a long career that included other popular albums including Between Us (2002) and NY LA (2003), which featured singer Aloe Blacc. Remaining a solo artist, he also became an in-demand sideman, working with artists such as Dave Koz, Marc Antoine, Peter White, Rick Braun, and Larry Carlton. Steve Cole co-founded jazz trio The Sax Pack with fellow saxophonists Jeff Kashiwa and Kim Waters and released three albums between 2008 and 2015. Steve Cole’s solo career continued with albums such as Moonlight (2011), Pulse (2013), Turn It Up (2016), Gratitude (2019), and Smoke + Mirrors (2021).
