Bassist. Steven Novosel, Jr. was born in 1940 in Farrell, Pennsylvania.
Began playing trumpet and studied in New York City for three years before joining the U.S. Army band. A shortage of available bass players spurred his change of instruments. While stationed at Fort Myer, Virginia, Novosel studied bass with Thomas Martin.
Novosel left the service in 1966 and was active playing in Washington and New York. He replaced Walter Booker in the JFK Quintet. He was a member of Trio ESP with pianist Gene Rush and drummer Jimmy Hopps, playing weekly with flutist/clarinetist Father Jack Herrera at Luther Place Memorial Church and recording one album. Hopps recommended him to Roland Kirk, and Novosel worked with Kirk for the next three years, including a European tour in October 1967. He also toured England in June 1969 with Charles Tolliver and Stanley Cowell, resulting in two albums. Around this time he recorded with flutist Lloyd McNeill.
Novosel has been consistently in demand in the Washington area, playing with both local musicians and with touring national and international artists. For more than three decades, Novosel was saxophonist Andrew White’s bassist of choice, appearing on virtually all of White’s many albums. He also frequently worked with Shirley Horn between 1995 and 2001.
He has taught bass at the University of the District of Columbia as well as at American University and Washington Conservatory of Music.
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