sideman

American  

[sahyd-man, -muhn] / ˈsaɪdˌmæn, -mən /

noun

plural

sidemen

1. an instrumentalist in a band or orchestra.

2. an instrumentalist supporting a soloist or a principal performer.

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sideman British  

/ ˈsaɪdmən /

noun

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

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Etymology

Origin of sideman

First recorded in 1560–70; side ¹ + man

Example Sentences

As is frequently the case with rhythm-section musicians, he has recorded far more often as a sideman or co-leader than as the sole frontman.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 24, 2025

The main distinction is that Esposito is the lead as opposed to the sideman, a designation that he should have received much earlier in his career.

From Salon • Mar. 31, 2024

“Basically, he wasn’t tripping about himself,” says Collins, another experienced sideman with an outré appearance.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 29, 2023

Lives Lived: Bill Lee was a bassist and composer who scored the early films of his son Spike Lee and worked prolifically as a sideman for Bob Dylan and Aretha Franklin.

From New York Times • May 25, 2023

The Committee-man hath a sideman, or rather a setter, hight a Sequestrator, of whom you may say, as of the great Sultan's horse, where he treads the grass grows no more.

From Character Writings of the 17th Century by Various