Rufus Reid
Rufus Reid | |
---|---|
Born | Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. | February 10, 1944
Origin | Chicago, Illinois |
Genres | Jazz |
Occupation | Musician |
Instrument | Bass |
Years active | 1976–present |
Labels | Motéma, Sunnyside, Atlantic, Soul Note, Evidence, Concord |
Website | www |
Rufus Reid (born February 10, 1944, in Atlanta, Georgia) is an American jazz bassist, educator, and composer.[1]
Biography
Reid was raised in Sacramento, California, where he played the trumpet through junior high and high school. Upon graduation from Sacramento High School, he entered the United States Air Force as a trumpet player. During that period he began to be seriously interested in the bass.
After fulfilling his duties in the military, Rufus had decided he wanted to pursue a career as a professional bassist. He moved to Seattle, Washington, where he began serious study with James Harnett of the Seattle Symphony. He continued his education at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, where he studied with Warren Benfield and principal bassist, Joseph Guastefeste, both of the Chicago Symphony. He graduated in 1971 with a Bachelor of Music Degree as a Performance Major on the Double Bass.
Rufus Reid's major professional career began in Chicago and continues since 1976 in New York City. Playing with hundreds of the world's greatest musicians, he is famously the bassist that saxophonist Dexter Gordon chose when he returned to the states from his decade-long exile in Denmark. His colleagues include Thad Jones, Nancy Wilson, Eddie Harris, and Bob Berg.
Reid has been a resident of Teaneck, New Jersey.[2][1]
Discography
As leader
- Terrestrial Dance Rufus Reid Trio w/SIRIUS QUARTET ( Newvelle Records - Vinyl only)
- Quiet Pride - The Elizabeth Catlett Project ( Motéma Music )
- Hues of a Different Blue (Motéma)
- Out Front (Motéma)
- Live at the Kennedy Center (Motéma)
- The Gait Keeper (Sunnyside)
- Perpetual Stroll (Theresa)
- Seven Minds (Sunnyside)
- Corridor To The Limits (Sunnyside)
- Mirth Song, with Harold Danko (Sunnyside)
- Yours and Mine (Concord)
- Passing Thoughts (Concord)
- Blue Motion (Evidence)
- Looking Forward (Evidence)
- Back to Front (Evidence)
- Double Bass Delights, with Michael Moore (Double-Time)
- Intimacy of the Bass, with Michael Moore (Double-Time)
- Song for Luis, with Ron Jackson (Mastermix)
- Alone Together, with Peter Ind (Wave)
As sideman
With Kenny Barron
- Autumn in New York (Uptown, 1984)
- The Moment (Reservoir, 1991)
- Other Places (Verve, 1993)
- Spirit Song (Verve, 1999)
With Roni Ben-Hur
- Fortuna (2008)
With Jane Ira Bloom
- Art and Aviation (Arabesque, 1992)
- The Nearness (Arabesque, 1996)
With Kenny Burrell
- Listen to the Dawn (Muse, 1980 [1983])
- Ellington a la Carte (Muse, 1983 [1993])
- A la Carte (Muse, 1983 [1985])
- Sunup to Sundown (Contemporary, 1991)
With Donald Byrd
- Harlem Blues (Landmark, 1987)
- A City Called Heaven (Landmark, 1991)
With George Cables
- Circle (Contemporary, 1979 [1985])
- A Letter to Dexter (Kind of Blue, 2006)
With Jack DeJohnette
- Album Album (ECM, 1984)
With Art Farmer
- Nostalgia (Baystate, 1983) with Benny Golson
- You Make Me Smile (Soul Note, 1984)
- Something to Live For: The Music of Billy Strayhorn (Contemporary, 1987)
- Blame It on My Youth (Contemporary, 1988)
- Ph.D. (Contemporary, 1989)
With Dan Faulk
- Focusing In (Criss Cross Jazz, 1992)
With Ricky Ford
- Tenor for the Times (Muse, 1981)
- Shorter Ideas (Muse, 1984)
With Frank Foster and Frank Wess
- Two for the Blues (Pablo, 1984)
- Frankly Speaking (Concord, 1985)
With Stan Getz
- Anniversary! (EmArcy, 1987 [1989])
- Serenity (Emarcy, 1987 [1991])
With Benny Golson
- Benny Golson Quartet (LRC Ltd. 1990)
With Dexter Gordon
- The Chase! (Prestige, 1970) with Gene Ammons
- Manhattan Symphonie (1978)
With Barry Harris
- For the Moment (Uptown, 1985)
With Eddie Harris
- Instant Death (Atlantic, 1971)
- Eddie Harris Sings the Blues (Atlantic, 1972)
- Excursions (Atlantic, 1966–73)
- Is It In (Atlantic, 1973)
- I Need Some Money (Atlantic, 1974)
- Bad Luck Is All I Have (Atlantic, 1975)
With Jimmy Heath
- New Picture (Landmark, 1985)
With Andrew Hill
- Shades (1986)
- Eternal Spirit (1989)
With Bobby Hutcherson
- Cruisin' the 'Bird (Landmark, 1988)
With the Jazztet
- Nostalgia (Baystate, 1983)
With J. J. Johnson
- Quintergy (1988)
- Standards (1988)
- Let's Hang Out (1992)
- The Brass Orchestra (1996)
- Heroes (1998)
With Etta Jones
- My Mother's Eyes (Muse, 1977)
With Frank Kimbrough
- Monk's Dreams: The Complete Compositions of Thelonious Sphere Monk (Sunnyside, 2018)
With Lee Konitz
- Figure & Spirit (Progressive, 1976)
- Ideal Scene (1986)
With Kirk Lightsey
- From Kirk to Nat (Criss Cross Jazz, 1991)
With Maulawi
- Maulawi (Strata)
With Billy Mitchell
- De Lawd's Blues (Xanadu, 1980)
- With Tete Montoliu
- A Spanish Treasure (Concord Jazz, 1991)
With Ralph Moore
- Round Trip (Reservoir, 1985 [1987])
With Joe Newman and Joe Wilder
- Hangin' Out (Concord Jazz, 1984)
With Claudio Roditi
- Claudio! (Uptown, 1985)
With Michel Sardaby
- Going Places (Sound Hills, 1989)
With Jack Sheldon
- Playing for Change (Uptown, 1986 [1997])
With John Stubblefield
- Confessin' (Soul Note, 1984)
With The Thad Jones/ Mel Lewis Orchestra
- It Only Happens Every Time (1977)
- The Thad Jones Mel Lewis Quartet (Artists House, 1978)
With Jon Irabagon
- The Observer (2009)
With Geoff Keezer
- Waiting In The Wings (Sunnyside, 1989)
Books
- The Evolving Bassist (1974) (2nd edition: ISBN 978-0-9676015-0-2)
Contributions to education
- Jamey Aebersold Summer Jazz Workshops
- Stanford Jazz Workshop
- The Lake Placid Institute
- Professor Emeritus,[3] William Paterson University, Jazz Studies and Performance program (1979–1999)
- The "Richard Davis Foundation for Young Bassists" Annual Bass Conference
- The Sligo Jazz Project
- Bass Coalition Summer Workshop
Awards and honors
- 1997 Humanitarian Award, International Association for Jazz Education (IAJE)
- 1998 Jazz Educator Achievement Award, Bass Player
- 1999 Outstanding Educator, New Jersey Chapter of the IAJE
- 2001 Distinguished Achievement Award, International Society of Bassists
- 2005 Mellon Jazz Living Legacy Award, Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation
- 2006 Award, Raymond and Beverly Sackler Composition Competition, administered by University of Connecticut
- 2006 Fellowship, New Jersey State Council on the Arts
- 2006 ASCAP/IAJE Strayhorn Commission Recipient
- 2008 Guggenheim Fellowship, Creative Arts/Music Composition category[4]
- Charlie Parker Jazz Composition Award ("Skies Over Emilia")
References
- ^ a b Beckerman, Jim. "Ben-Hur flavors his jazz with Middle Eastern spice", The Record (Bergen County), July 17, 2005, backed up by the Internet Archive as of May 23, 2006. Accessed November 29, 2017. "Luckily, pianist John Hicks, drummer Leroy Williams, percussionist Steve Kroon and celebrated Teaneck bassist Rufus Reid were happy to go where Ben-Hur led."
- ^ "2005 Living Legacy Award Winner: Rufus Reid", Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation, backed up by the Internet Archive as of August 20, 2008. Accessed November 29, 2017. "Rufus Reid was born in Atlanta, Georgia and raised in Sacramento, California and currently resides in Teaneck, New Jersey."
- ^ William Paterson University Senate Minutes
- ^ The John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation Archived 2008-06-11 at the Wayback Machine
External links
- Official site
- Stanford Jazz Workshop
- Rufus Reid at Motéma Music
- Rufus Reid Interview NAMM Oral History Program (2005)
- 1944 births
- Living people
- American jazz double-bassists
- Male double-bassists
- Musicians from Atlanta
- People from Teaneck, New Jersey
- Musicians from Sacramento, California
- Jazz musicians from California
- 21st-century double-bassists
- 21st-century American male musicians
- Male jazz musicians
- The Jazztet members
- Matteson-Phillips Tubajazz Consort members
- Motéma Music artists
- Atlantic Records artists
- Concord Records artists
- Sunnyside Records artists
- Double-Time Records artists