sideman

[ sahyd-man, -muhn ]

noun

, plural side·men [sahyd, -men, -m, uh, n].

1. an instrumentalist in a band or orchestra.
2. an instrumentalist supporting a soloist or a principal performer.

sideman

/ ˈsaɪdmən /

noun

1. a member of a dance band or a jazz group other than the leader

Word History and Origins

Origin of sideman¹

First recorded in 1560–70; side ¹ + man

Example Sentences

Forever a sideman in the great New Orleans tradition, Nocentelli forgot all about his unfinished solo project for almost a half-century.

From Washington Post

Between 1956 and 1971, his prolific output for Blue Note resulted in 25 albums as leader and nearly twice as many recordings as a sideman and featured player, with Morgan always balancing his early influences and searching for new directions.

From Washington Post

It’s been around 60 years since Corea emerged on the New York jazz scene as a promising young sideman.

From Time

Although he was admitted into Juilliard for piano, he quickly dropped out and became a sought-after jazz sideman for his crisp agility and ingenious chord voicings, playing with Sarah Vaughan, Mongo Santamaría, Stan Getz and others.

From Time

He’s recorded hundreds of albums as both leader and sideman and performed thousands of concerts touching all parts of the world, dating back to the 1940s.

From Washington Post

And, the life of a sideman had become all the more difficult in recent years.

From The Daily Beast

After 19 years, when will he be promoted from sideman to full member of the Rolling Stones?

From The Daily Beast