Biography
A master of the double bass with a robust yet nuanced tone, Rufus Reid has earned acclaim both for his commanding presence on post-bop sessions and for his sensitive work on standards dates and studio projects. After surfacing in the 1970s alongside Eddie Harris, he went on to accompany an array of jazz notables such as Dexter Gordon, Thad Jones, J.J. Johnson, Art Farmer, and John Mayer. As a bandleader he has documented an eclectic body of work, among them the 2003 quintet session The Gait Keeper and the 2011 trio outing Out Front. His longest-running partnership was the co-led quartet Tana/Reid with drummer Akira Tana, which issued Yours Mine in 1991, BlueMotion in 1994, and Back to Front in 1998. Reid is also the author of the instructional volume The Evolving Bass and, together with Dr. Martin Krivin, established the Jazz Studies and Performance Bachelor of Music curriculum at William Paterson University, where he served on the faculty until retiring in 1999. In addition to conducting master classes, he has remained active in the studio, releasing the Grammy-nominated large-ensemble project Quiet Pride: The Elizabeth Catlett Project in 2014, Terrestrial Dance in 2017, and Celebration in 2022.
Born in Atlanta, Georgia, in 1944, Reid was raised in Sacramento, California, and first concentrated on trumpet throughout his school years. While stationed with the Air Force he changed to bass; after his discharge he studied in Seattle with Seattle Symphony bassist James Harnett and later enrolled at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, taking lessons from Chicago Symphony members Warren Benfield and Joseph Guastefeste. During his college period he began working locally with Kenny Dorham, Sonny Stitt, James Moody, Milt Jackson, Curtis Fuller, and Dizzy Gillespie.
Reid received his bachelor of music degree in double-bass performance in 1971. Subsequent engagements included dates with Dexter Gordon, Lee Konitz, and Howard McGhee, followed by international tours with the Bobby Hutcherson-Harold Land quintet, Freddie Hubbard, Nancy Wilson, and Eddie Harris, the last of whom he also joined on numerous recordings throughout the decade. Settling in New York in 1976, he performed and recorded with the Thad Jones-Mel Lewis quartet, published The Evolving Bass, and, in partnership with Dr. Martin Krivin, launched the undergraduate jazz program at William Paterson University, where he remained as Director of Jazz Studies until 1999.
His first album as a leader, the 1980 trio date Perpetual Stroll on Sunnyside, featured pianist Kirk Lightsey and drummer Eddie Gladden, both former Dexter Gordon sidemen. Further Sunnyside releases followed: Seven Minds in 1984 and Corridor to the Limits in 1989. Throughout the 1980s he also appeared on recordings by Lee Konitz, Ricky Ford, Jack DeJohnette’s Special Edition, the Frank Wess-Art Farmer quintet, and in duo settings with Kenny Burrell and Harold Danko.
During the same decade Reid formed the post-bop quartet Tana/Reid with Akira Tana; the group’s debut, Yours and Mine, appeared in 1991, with Passing Thoughts following in 1992, Blue Motion in 1994, and Back to Front in 1998. Outside the quartet he issued the duet projects Song for Luis with guitarist Ron Jackson and Doublebass Delights with bassist Michael Moore.
The 2000s brought further activity, including the 2003 quintet recording The Gait Keeper, which spotlighted tenor saxophonist Rich Perry alongside trumpeter and flugelhornist Freddie Hendrix. A reunion with Tana produced Secret Agent Men, featuring guitarist Rodney Jones, organist Dr. Lonnie Smith, and tenor saxophonist Bob Kenmotsu. Reid also contributed to sessions by Marianne Faithfull and John Mayer. His trio with pianist Steve Allee and drummer Duduka Da Fonseca was documented on Out Front in 2010 and Hue of a Different Blue in 2011, the latter augmented by Toninho Horta, Bobby Watson, Freddie Hendrix, and J.D. Allen.
In 2014 Reid saluted sculptor and activist Elizabeth Catlett with the large-ensemble album Quiet Pride: The Elizabeth Catlett Project, which received Grammy nominations for Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album and Best Instrumental Composition for the track “Recognition.” Terrestrial Dance, again with his trio and the Sirius Quartet, appeared in 2017. A duo recording with pianist Sullivan Fortner, Always in the Moment, was issued in 2020, and two years later the trio and Sirius Quartet collaborated once more on Celebration.
Born in Atlanta, Georgia, in 1944, Reid was raised in Sacramento, California, and first concentrated on trumpet throughout his school years. While stationed with the Air Force he changed to bass; after his discharge he studied in Seattle with Seattle Symphony bassist James Harnett and later enrolled at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, taking lessons from Chicago Symphony members Warren Benfield and Joseph Guastefeste. During his college period he began working locally with Kenny Dorham, Sonny Stitt, James Moody, Milt Jackson, Curtis Fuller, and Dizzy Gillespie.
Reid received his bachelor of music degree in double-bass performance in 1971. Subsequent engagements included dates with Dexter Gordon, Lee Konitz, and Howard McGhee, followed by international tours with the Bobby Hutcherson-Harold Land quintet, Freddie Hubbard, Nancy Wilson, and Eddie Harris, the last of whom he also joined on numerous recordings throughout the decade. Settling in New York in 1976, he performed and recorded with the Thad Jones-Mel Lewis quartet, published The Evolving Bass, and, in partnership with Dr. Martin Krivin, launched the undergraduate jazz program at William Paterson University, where he remained as Director of Jazz Studies until 1999.
His first album as a leader, the 1980 trio date Perpetual Stroll on Sunnyside, featured pianist Kirk Lightsey and drummer Eddie Gladden, both former Dexter Gordon sidemen. Further Sunnyside releases followed: Seven Minds in 1984 and Corridor to the Limits in 1989. Throughout the 1980s he also appeared on recordings by Lee Konitz, Ricky Ford, Jack DeJohnette’s Special Edition, the Frank Wess-Art Farmer quintet, and in duo settings with Kenny Burrell and Harold Danko.
During the same decade Reid formed the post-bop quartet Tana/Reid with Akira Tana; the group’s debut, Yours and Mine, appeared in 1991, with Passing Thoughts following in 1992, Blue Motion in 1994, and Back to Front in 1998. Outside the quartet he issued the duet projects Song for Luis with guitarist Ron Jackson and Doublebass Delights with bassist Michael Moore.
The 2000s brought further activity, including the 2003 quintet recording The Gait Keeper, which spotlighted tenor saxophonist Rich Perry alongside trumpeter and flugelhornist Freddie Hendrix. A reunion with Tana produced Secret Agent Men, featuring guitarist Rodney Jones, organist Dr. Lonnie Smith, and tenor saxophonist Bob Kenmotsu. Reid also contributed to sessions by Marianne Faithfull and John Mayer. His trio with pianist Steve Allee and drummer Duduka Da Fonseca was documented on Out Front in 2010 and Hue of a Different Blue in 2011, the latter augmented by Toninho Horta, Bobby Watson, Freddie Hendrix, and J.D. Allen.
In 2014 Reid saluted sculptor and activist Elizabeth Catlett with the large-ensemble album Quiet Pride: The Elizabeth Catlett Project, which received Grammy nominations for Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album and Best Instrumental Composition for the track “Recognition.” Terrestrial Dance, again with his trio and the Sirius Quartet, appeared in 2017. A duo recording with pianist Sullivan Fortner, Always in the Moment, was issued in 2020, and two years later the trio and Sirius Quartet collaborated once more on Celebration.
Albums
