Charles Tolliver (born March 6, 1942) is an American jazz trumpeter and composer. Tolliver was born in Jacksonville, Florida, where, as a child, he received his first trumpet as a gift from his grandmother. He attended Howard University in the early 1960s as a pharmacy student, when he decided to pursue music as a career and moved to New York City. He came to prominence in 1964, playing and recording on Jackie McLean's Blue Note albums. In 1971, Tolliver and Stanley Cowell founded Strata-East Records. Tolliver himself released many albums and collaborations on Strata. Strata-East Records is an American record company and label specialising in jazz which was founded in 1971 by Charles Tolliver and Stanley Cowell with the release of their first recording Music Inc. The label released over 50 albums in the 1970s. Many of the label's releases are now hailed as prime examples of 1970s Post-Bop, Spiritual Jazz, and Afro-Jazz. This mix was broadcasted on www.nessradio.com
