At 90 years old, saxophonist and composer George Coleman performs with intimacy, versatility and an ongoing ability to surprise audiences. Having played with jazz greats from Miles Davis to Herbie Hancock, Coleman is, at last, getting the critical recognition that, at times, eluded him during his decades-long career. Most famously, he was in Miles Davis’ quintet from 1963 to 1964 and can be heard on the classic album, “Seven Steps to Heaven.”

But Coleman’s reach extends beyond his time with Davis and other pivotal musicians. He brings harmonies to his compositions and performances that establish a unique emotional depth. He also insists on demonstrating that he won’t be limited by the expectations of listeners who admire his deliberately slow tempos and gentle melodies. He continues to go beyond what he’s done.

And overshadowed by more flamboyant musicians, Coleman has nonetheless kept his cool. Nowadays he is understood as one of the greatest jazz musicians: in 2015, he was named a National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) Jazz Master. He may move slowly, but he plays with vigor.

On Nov. 7 and 8, Coleman will perform two shows on each night at the Regattabar inside the Charles Hotel in Harvard Square. The Banner recently caught up with him by phone at his home in Manhattan.

Banner: What are a few fundamentals that you teach to younger musicians who come to you for mentoring?

George Coleman: I take them through quite a few things: tonalities, harmonic regressions. Extra things involving the harmonies. I make sure they know what they’re playing. Sometimes it’s a challenge.

What are the specific challenges?

They don’t know certain patterns.They’re looking for something new. New is like the old, the old is like the new. I give them the old stuff. They don’t know the basics. Learn the basics and go from there. The basics can be very complex. It’s a new world for a lot of these younger players.

When you’re performing, what connects you to audiences?

Variation. For an ideal audience, I’ll play ballads. Avant garde. Standards. Current tunes. Everything that’s related to jazz music. I like to find what I have in common with the audience. Sometimes I’ll even play something like, “I’m Walking,” by Fats Domino, to have the audience sing along with it.

What was it like to play with Herbie Hancock?

It was wonderful. People thought our recordings were rehearsed, but it was all spontaneous. Some things he introduced to me. Some things I introduced to him. There were harmonic resolutions. Miles would say to Herbie, “play some chords that you played for George,” and Miles would hear it right away. That’s the communication I had with Herbie. We had a great rapport.

What was it like to play with Miles?

I learned a lot from a lot of different people. I’m from Memphis, and at age 18 I played the alto sax with B. B. King on “Woke Up This Morning.” You can still hear it on the original recording. Then just out of high school, I went to Chicago. I met great musicians like Johnny Griffin and Booker Little. I could arrange and write. I wasn’t just a novice. By the time I joined Miles’ quintet, I was ready. I’m not bragging, I just learn things quickly. I’ve been blessed to learn a lot of stuff at a young age.

Do you have a few moments when you realized that music was your destiny?

Charlie Parker was my idol.

His music inspired me to play the alto sax. I was thrilled by his inspiration.

Any sense of your legacy?

I feel inspired and I feel blessed by the creative talent that I have all these years. In the past, I was not exactly an unknown entity, but I was never on the map too much. All my peers knew what I was capable of, and these days there’s wider recognition, like the NEA Jazz Masters award. But I never felt deprived.

As a musician who has played with everyone, and learned this craft, what’s left to learn?

I’m practicing. I’ve been on the road for over 60 years, and now I’m sitting down more. I want to learn a few little things. Different harmonic things. I know I can expand more harmonically. Now I have the time to practice. Like when I was 17 or 18. I’m practicing.

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