Iqua Colson

Iqua Colson, born Kristine Browne (12 July 1953)^[1] in Chicago, Illinois, USA, is an American vocalist, composer, lyricist, arts educator. She is known for her long-standing association with the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM) and her contributions to arts education and curriculum development in New Jersey public schools.

Iqua Colson
Birth name	Kristine Browne
Born	(1953-07-12) July 12, 1953 (age 72) Chicago, Illinois
Genres	Jazz
Occupation(s)	Singer, Composer, Lyricist, Educator
Instrument(s)	Voice, Piano
Years active	1970s-present
Labels	Delmark Records, Silver Sphinx
Website	colsonsmusic.com

Early life and education

Colson studied piano from an early age. She attended Kenwood High School in Chicago, where she studied under composer Lena McLin, the niece and student of Thomas Dorsey. She initially enrolled at Northwestern University School of Music and later transferred to Chicago Musical College at Roosevelt University where she completed her undergraduate music degree.^[2]

At the age of 19, Colson was given the name "Iqua" by a friend from Africa, who explained that it was used for female singers in his village. She adopted the name and has continued to use^[1] it throughout her career.

In 1975, she married jazz pianist Adegoke Steve Colson. The couple moved in 1982 to Montclair, New Jersey.^[3]

Career

Musical career

Iqua Colson became an early member of the Association for Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM)^[4] in 1972.^[5] In the Downbeat AACM 50th Anniversary issue, vocalist/composer Colson is described as one of the 'ACCM's Powerful Women', along with Peggy Abrams, Sandra Lashley, pianist-composer-singer Amina Claudine Myers, flutist Nicole Mitchell, cellist Tomeka Reid, pianist-singer Ann Ward, vocalists Dee Alexander, singer-harpist-flutist Sonjia Hubert Harper (aka Maia).^[6] She was named a Vocal Talent Deserving Wider Recognition by DownBeat and recognized by Billboard for distinguished achievement as a lyricist.^[7] Fred Anderson put together the Fred Anderson Sextet including Colson as vocalist, reedist Douglas Ewart, trombonist George Lewis, bassist Felix Blackmon, pianist Soji Adebayo and drummer Hamid Drake.^[8] One of the most active women musicians and vocalists within the early AACM, Colson is referenced as an inspiration by other vocalists like Dee Alexander.^[9] She has led bands^[10] at women’s jazz festivals, and performs in collaboration with her husband Adegoke Steve Colson's Quartet,^[11] and their Colsons Unity Troupe, among other musical collaborations for the AACM and other arts organizations. She served as a member of the board of directors of The Jazz Institute of Chicago, helping to expand audience for the annual Chicago Jazz Festival, and was a founding member of FEPA, producers of Chicago's Underground Fest and Blacklight Film Festival.^[1]

In 2025, Colson and her husband announced an upcoming album titled Glow: Music for Trio…Add Voice, recorded with Adegoke Steve Colson alongside drummer Andrew Cyrille and bassist Mark Helias, scheduled for release in August 2025.^[12]

Listed as a singer who crosses musical boundaries like Abbey Lincoln, Rita Warford, Linda Sharrock, Phil Minton, among others,^[13] Colson remains an active member of the AACM^[14] and is recognized as an important part of the legacy of the AACM^[15]

Arts education and administration

Iqua Colson became a music team leader in East Orange, New Jersey's Washington Academy of Music at the school's inception in 1994. She then became the coordinator of arts programs for the East Orange School District, focusing on curriculum development and special projects in the arts. Colson also worked in the initial phases of the Whitney E. Houston Academy of Creative and Performing Arts^[16] and the Cicely L. Tyson Community School of Performing and Fine Arts^[17] in East Orange. Along with founding principal Mrs. Laura Trimmings, Iqua Colson worked closely with Ms Cicely Tyson to design the Cicely L. Tyson Community School of Performing and Fine Arts campus, which opened in 2009. Colson is a member of New Jersey's Core Curriculum Content Committee for the Arts and served on the board of directors of the Newark Arts Council and the Montclair Arts Council. She has a Masters of Public Administration/Arts Administration degree from Seton Hall University and is a consultant on the arts as a catalyst for educational and/or social change, including neighborhood planning, arts venue design and arts curricula.^[2]

Discography with Adegoke Steve Colson

• Glow: Music for Trio...Add Voice
• Triumph! Silver Sphinx SS01
• No Reservation Black Saint BSR 0043
• Hope for Love Silver Sphinx SS12402
• Untarnished Dream Silver Sphinx SS12403
• Freedom Rhythm & Sound – Revolutionary Jazz and The Civil Rights Movement Soul Jazz Records SUR CD 219^[18]
• Triumph! (re-issue from Soul Jazz / London) Universal Sound US CD40