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Alto saxophonist and composer Steve Coleman is the latest jazz musician to be richly recognized by the Chicago-based MacArthur Foundation with what’s become known as a “genius grant” worth $625,000.

Coleman, 57, was one of 21 people named Wednesday morning as MacArthur Fellows. Here’s the foundation’s video profile of Coleman:

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Since 1981, the MacArthur Foundation has bestowed grants on scores of recipients across a wide range of disciplines, all of whom were unaware that they had been nominated.

Other jazz musicians who have received genius grants have included Max Roach, Cecil Taylor, Anthony Braxton, Ornette Coleman, Steve Lacy, Ran Blake, Gunther Schuller, Ken Vandermark, Regina Carter, Jason Moran, Dafnis Prieto, Miguel Zenon and Vijay Iyer.

Some might say that Steve Coleman’s recognition by the MacArthur Foundation is overdue, given that he was a mentoring figure to Moran, Iyer and Prieto. And that’s not to mention the many musicians who came under Coleman’s sway over the years under the M-Base rubric.

Here’s some fierce and vintage Coleman from 1999:

From a 2007 performance at the Stone in New York City, here are Coleman and Iyer:

Congratulations, Steve Coleman.