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Mike Reed's People, Places & Things: About Us
by Mark Corroto
The saying might go something like, “Those ignorant of history are doomed to repeat it." For composer/bandleader Mike Reed, his knowledge of jazz history allows him the freedom to cherish and exalt the past.
Reed's prior disc, Proliferation (482 Music, 2008), revitalized Chicago jazz music from 1954-1960, covering tracks by under-appreciated artist Wilbur Campbell, Frank Strozier, Sun Ra, and John Jenkins. This first of three recordings heralded the past; a future recording will find principal players from the ...
Continue ReadingMike Reed's People, Places & Things: About Us
by Troy Collins
Chicago-based drummer Mike Reed's debut of his People, Places & Things Ensemble, Proliferation (482 Music, 2008), was dedicated to the under-recognized people, places, and things from late 1950s Chicago that he found inspiring. About Us continues this concept, eschewing the previous session's focus on under-sung cover tunes in favor of original compositions written by Reed and his band mates, with one tune apiece contributed by three of Chicago's most influential artists.
The line-up once again features the effusive ...
Continue ReadingMike Reed: Proliferaiton & The Speed of Change
by Jeff Stockton
Mike Reed's Peoples, Places & Things Proliferation 482 Music 2008 Mike Reed's Loose Assembly The Speed of Change 482 Music 2008
Ken Vandermark gets a lot of attention for building relationships among jazz musicians in Chicago but drummer and composer Mike Reed is securing his own reputation as an energetic performer, ...
Continue ReadingMike Reed: The Speed of Change & Proliferation
by Troy Collins
Chicago-based composer, bandleader and percussionist Mike Reed is one of the Windy City's most active young musicians and well-connected music presenters. In addition to leading his own ensembles and working with various collectives, Reed is founder of the Emerging Improvisers Organization, director of the Pitchfork Music Festival and a co-curator of the Chicago Jazz Festival.
Released simultaneously, The Speed of Change and Proliferation showcase two very different aspects of his oeuvre. The former is the follow-up to Last ...
Continue ReadingMike Reed's Loose Assembly: Last Year's Ghost
by Jerry D'Souza
Drummer Mike Reed returns with a Last Year's Ghost, this time featuring his band, Loose Assembly. The quintet, in existence for three years, has made a mark on the Chicago jazz scene. This is not surprising knowing what Reed has done and what he is capable of. His recordings, The Treehouse Project (482 Music, 1999) and a series of improvised duets, In The Context Of (482 Music, 2006), testify to Reed's distinctive imagination and innovative styling.
Loose Assembly came together ...
Continue ReadingMike Reed: Last Year's Ghost
by Nic Jones
482 Music was responsible for one of 2006's most iconoclastic releases, in the form of Intents & Purposes by Kyle Bruckmann's Wrack. This debut by drummer/composer Mike Reed and his group is not on the same level in terms of the way in which it fundamentally breaks with a lot of what has already gone down in the past. The fact remains that this is a program of music that's equally uncompromising, albeit in a more unassuming way.
Reed's compositions ...
Continue ReadingMike Reed's Loose Assembly: Last Year's Ghost
by Troy Collins
Drummer Mike Reed's previous album, In the Context Of (482 Music, 2006), showcased his gifts as an improviser in a series of spontaneous duets with his fellow Chicagoans. Last Year's Ghost provides more evidence of his talents, demonstrating his arranging and composing skills as well as his continuing development as a brilliant percussionist on the rise.
The debut recording of Loose Assembly, his three-year-old quintet, incorporates free-wheeling sonic explorations with nuanced harmonic structures. By reconfiguring group improvisations developed ...
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