Home » Jazz Articles » Tomeka Reid
Jazz Articles about Tomeka Reid
Taylor Ho Bynum: The Ambiguity Manifesto
by Mark Corroto
Cornetist, composer, organizer and curator Taylor Ho Bynum marshals his recording The Ambiguity Manifesto into the categories of before and after, as in AM/PM, BC/AD, and maybe more appropriately before AACM (Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians) and after AACM. With the entire breadth of recorded jazz history available, Bynum chose the concepts of the AACM as the tipping point(s) for this recording. This is a natural progression from his apprenticeship with Anthony Braxton and also his work with ...
Continue ReadingTaylor Ho Bynum 9-tette: The Ambiguity Manifesto
by Karl Ackermann
Taylor Ho Bynum's The Ambiguity Manifesto, with its oxymoronic title, is the third album in what the cornetist-composer calls an “accidental trilogy." Following his Firehouse 12 Records releases Navigation (Possible Abstracts XII & XIII) (2013) and Enter the Plus Tet (2016), Bynum recognized a form--however unconventional--both in the composition and performing of these large ensemble works. With a 9-tette made up of members of his sextet and Plus Tet, Bynum adds Stomu Takeishi on electric bass. Bynum cites ...
Continue ReadingTomeka Reid - Filippo Monico: The Mouser
by John Sharpe
Cellist Tomeka Reid reveals another aspect of her artistry on The Mouser, on five unfettered excursions in the company of Italian percussionist Filippo Monico. Rather than the supple propulsion and poised angularity of her eponymous quartet (Thirsty Ear, 2015) or the AACM repertoire of Artifacts (482 Music, 2015), Reid concentrates on exploring the full resources of her instrument to respond in the moment to her fellow protagonist. Indeed, this is one of those albums where the focus is more on ...
Continue ReadingBen Monder, Ingrid Laubrock and More
by Maurice Hogue
The Dutch powerhouse quintet Spinifex included a pair of tracks imbued with Sufi traditional music of Kurdish/Iranian origin, and a Qawali traditional from Pakistan on their last recording, Amphibian Ardour; they loved the challenge of fusing those styles into their irregular structures and free jazz so much that they decided to go all in on their newest release, Soufifex. There's always challenging music on releases from the Relative Pitch label, and this episode brings music from new albums by Ingrid ...
Continue ReadingTomeka Reid: Tomeka Reid Quartet
by Patrick Burnette
Even jazz fans who follow recordings coming out of Chicago might still not have heard of cellist Tomeka Reid. Before 2015, when Tomeka Reid Quartet was released, she worked mostly as a sideman (side-person?) with such local luminaries as Nicole Mitchell and Dee Alexander, as well as participating in the AACM. Given that it's her debut as leader, Quartet is a remarkably assured recording, programmed with an excellent sense of pace and point. Performances don't outstay their welcome and fit ...
Continue ReadingTomeka Reid: Tomeka Reid Quartet
by Hrayr Attarian
As an accomplished composer and improviser, cellist Tomeka Reid, is an integral part of Chicago's creative music scene. In addition to being an educator, Reid is a versatile and tireless performer both in her hometown and beyond. Moreover her unique style graces the works of such luminaries as flutist Nicole Mitchell, multireed player Anthony Braxton as well as her own collaborative trio albums. The tense and thrilling Tomeka Reid Quartet is her first release as a leader. The, ...
Continue ReadingJennifer Lee: Quiet Joy
by Jeff Dayton-Johnson
You cannot judge a jazz CD by its cover, particularly in this age of frankly shoddy-looking self-produced sleeves that may well detract attention from good music inside. The cover of Jennifer Lee's Quiet Joy is not amateurish--on the contrary, it is very tastefully assembled. Nevertheless, it could be misleading. The cover depicts the San Francisco Bay Area-based singer and instrumentalist seated in a leafy flower garden, the details spelled out in a sunny font. The packaging promises the musical equivalent ...
Continue Reading
