RUFUS REID...RUFUS REID... Part 2

The International Association of Jazz Educators awarded Rufus the Humanitarian Award in 1997 “Bass Player” magazine, awarded Rufus the 1998 Jazz Educator Achievement Award. Rufus Reid truly continues to be the evolving bassist. Quotes:  “The bassist Reid is the man to call for any musical situation that demands both the utmost skill and impeccable taste. A rare gig as a leader gives us the chance to hear how his sound and illenn swing can levitate an ensemble clear off the bandstand.” The New Yorker – July 15, 2002. “The musicians of the Rufus Reid Quintet consistently focus their energies away from self-aggrandizement and toward a serenely lyric, nearly transparent ensemble sound. To hear this band unfurl so much sonic beauty without a hint of ostentation or bravura is to be reminded what substantive musicmaking ultimately is all about. For although any number of more incendiary bands plays the Showcase week after week, the Reid Quintet reaffirms the power of profound understatement. “For although the ample size of Reid’s tone and the easy virtuosity of his technique is well-known from his work in other bands, in his own ensemble he produces a music of unexpected serenity, stylistic breadth and tonal sheen.” Tribune arts critic (2004)-by Howard Reich. “Peter Ind celebrated his 75^th Birthday, stating he is three quarters of the way there now, on the bandstand of the cutting-edge Chelsea club. The evening’s high spot was Ind’s double bass duet with US star Rufus Reid. Standing shoulder to shoulder, these veterans swapped counterpoint ideas on Body And Sould and Eddie Durhsm’s old favourite, Topsy, with remarkable delicacy. An unexpected treat, it was like watching bull elephants tap-dancing.” Jack Massarik, The Evening Standard. “Reid, particularly, creates inimitable string bass rhythms and harmonies that he employs both within the ensemble and, in solo, without. On one number he may set up a simple, droning, repeated phrase (like Miles Davis’ undercurrent of bass lines in his last years); on another, Reid can set up rhythms and rhythmic variations against which [Billy] Hart can improvise on his kit and Barron can use as a departure point for his own keyboard variations.” (Review of Kenny Barron Quintet) Review of Kenny Barron Quintet at Yoshi’s Philip Elwood, San Francisco Examiner – March 9, 2000.  “His presence in this country is a rare treat, and his incredibly smooth walking bass lines provided an assured foundation for the London Jazz Orchestra’s arrangements.

 He has a tone rich enough to threaten the audience with the confessional – the pleasure of hearing it narrowly misses being one of the cardinal sins – and his solos are so melodic several of this reviewer’s discs are in danger of wearing out.” Sholto Byrnes, The Independent Newspaper, London, England – June 4, 2002. “Rufus is known for his ability to play with elastic strength. While the transcription accurately represents the notes and rhythms, you should listen to the solo to experience the organic feeling and sound Rufus draws out of his bass.” Transcription notes, “Embraceable You” John Goldsby, Bass Player Magazine – March 1999. “Reid with his rich, solid bass sonority, plays marvelously musical choruses which are models of melodic, rhythmic and harmonic richness.” Review of The duMaurier Atlantic Jazz Festival. Stephen Pedersen, the Chronicle-Herald, Halifax, Nova Scotia – 1998. “So in a nutshell, the bass player’s job is really very simple: just play all the right notes in all the right places. Then after the other players have had their say, the bassist gets to solo, and nobody does all of those things better than Rufus Reid. And as if all that were not enough to occupy one busy bassist, Reid is a dedicated jazz educator.” Bob Bernotas, Jazz Player Magazine – Dec/Jan 1998 “Green and Reid play with a degree of subtlety, sensitivity and tonal polish that one rarely encounters in improvised swing music...Reid answered him with long and elegant lines, his legato touch so persuasive that one almost might have thought he was using a bow.” Review of Benny Green and Rufus Reid Duo at the Jazz Showcase, Howard Reich, Chicago Tribune – March 18, 1999. “Reid displayed a daunting mastery of the concerto’s shifting moods. He shored up the weaker transitions with deftly-woven glissandos. Both his presence and his playing gave the piece it’s spine.” Review of “Two Faces” Concerto by Benny Golson, Lincoln Center, Gene Seymour, New York Newsday – Oct. 23, 1992 “Reid is widely respected as both an educator in New Jersey by day and a partner to Manhattan’s top jazz musicians at night...Reid’s solos were cogently and forcefully argued. Even in his most widely intuitive fantasizings, he remained close by the tune. His harmonic explorations ranged wide, yet he never lost his audience or the band.” Review of Fiesta Jazz Festival, Mike Greenberg, Express News, San Antonio, TX. “It was all highly uncompromising creatively challenging fare, especially for a mall concert before a general audience. Yet it must be judged successful, since hardly any of the audience departed during the long set. The high artistic level of the music, and the success it had in holding an audience, suggests that jazz can reach wider audiences and be appreciated without being adulterated or diluted.” Review of concert at Willowbrook Mall, Wayne, New Jersey. George Kanzler, The Star-Ledger, NJ. “Rufus Reid is a stalwart of the bottom line, having played on seemingly countless albums and tours. His newest album as a leader, appropriately titled ‘The Gait Keeper’ (Sunnyside) could additionally establish his credentials as a composer of note. The original tunes on this quintet session manage to be both visceral and thoughtful, and they provide ample fodder for improvisational variation.” Review of “The Gait Keeper” (Sunnyside). Nate Chinen, JazzTimes. “It has been said that a true craftsman never stops creating. This is certainly true of Rufus Reid’s latest masterpiece. ‘Celestial Dance’ is perhaps the most unique piece included in this palette by the bassist. After almost four decades of playing and touring, Rufus has found yet another fresh challenge – this new quintet and his writing. Congratulations on this most recent project and outstanding recording.” Review of “The Gait Keeper” (Sunnyside). “Rufus Reid not only has elevated his song writing to a new level, he has broadened the scope and deepened the dimensions of postbop with his extraordinary sense of movement.” Lloyd Sachs, Chicago Sun Times. “It’s a beautiful set, one gigantic musical passage after another; there’s a potpourri of rhythmic stylings and pulses. Really, there’s just a lot of great musical stuff here that will keep you listening repeatedly.” Jon W. Poses, Columbia Daily Tribune.