Orbit | Updated: October 1, 2026
Born: November 12, 1992
Kenny Reichert is a Chicago-based guitarist, composer, and bandleader. An active presence in the Midwest jazz scene, he leads his own ensembles and is a founding member of the organ trio Righteous Rooster.
Reichert has released four albums as a leader: Live In Chicago (Shifting Paradigm Records, 2026), Switch (Calligram Records, 2024), Deep Breath (Shifting Paradigm Records, 2023), and Interpretations (2015). His work emphasizes long-running musical relationships, original composition, and the space for a band to develop its own sound through performance.
DownBeat described Reichert as “a distinctive player and composer with wide-ranging idiomatic inklings,” while Textura called him a “triple threat” as a guitarist, bandleader, and writer. He was named a Luminarts Jazz Improvisation Fellow in 2022, and his work has received support from South Arts, the Illinois Arts Council, and the Metropolitan Regional Arts Council.
In addition to leading his own groups, Reichert performs with Righteous Rooster, which holds a weekly late-night residency at Chicago's Green Mill, and with guitarist and vocalist Sara d'Ippolito Reichert as the duo Sara and Kenny. He has performed and recorded with musicians including Russ Johnson, Geof Bradfield, Lenard Simpson, Clark Sommers, Ethan Philion, Devin Drobka, and Ana Everling.
Originally from Wisconsin, Reichert has lived and worked in Milwaukee, Boston, London, Berlin, Minneapolis, and Chicago. He holds a Master of Music in Jazz Studies from DePaul University and has taught at Concordia University, St. Paul and Oklahoma State University. His work also includes music for television and media, with placements on NFL GameDay Kickoff, NFL Fantasy Live, Temptation Island, Single's Inferno, and Blood & Water.
Awards
Luminarts Jazz Improvisation Fellow
South Arts Jazz Road
Illinois Arts Council
Metropolitan Regional Arts Council
Tags
All About Jazz Articles
Kenny Reichert: Live in Chicago
by Glenn Astarita
Kenny Reichert has been steadily building his reputation within the modern jazz world, and Live in Chicago stands as perhaps his most revealing statement to date. Recorded at Pro Musica with a hand-picked quartet featuring alto saxophonist Lenard Simpson, bassist Ethan Philion, and drummer Devin Drobka, this five-track collection captures something increasingly rare in contemporary jazz recordings: genuine, unvarnished spontaneity within a live setting. What is immediately striking about this record is its commitment to expansiveness. Each of ...
Continue Reading...Jimmy Farace: Hours Fly, Flowers Die
by Jerome Wilson
There have been many recordings of saxophones backed by string sections since Charlie Parker experimented with the idea many years ago. The majority of those have featured tenor or alto sax players. However, on his debut album, Jimmy Farace demonstrates how the baritone sax can excel beautifully in this format. The full instrumental lineup on this set has Farace in front of a quintet, which also includes guitar and piano, meeting up with the KAIA String Quartet. The ...
Continue Reading...Righteous Rooster: Fowl Play
by Richard J Salvucci
Time was when organ trios were thick on the ground. They were just bluesy enough, soul-inflected and grooving enough to capture a younger audience raised on something other than swing or even bop, although there were a few hard-bop outfits too. Many fondly remember Charles Earland who covered pop hits like “Aquarius" or “More Today than Yesterday," with the redoubtable Jimmy Ponder thumbing his way on guitar. Righteous Rooster does not look quite that far back, ...
Continue Reading...Kenny Reichert: Switch
by Mark Corroto
Chicago guitarist Kenny Reichert works extremely hard to make his sound come across as casual on Switch. If you do not count the numerous discs with his partner Sara d'Ippolito Reichert, this is his third release as a leader. It follows Deep Breath (Shifting Paradigm Records, 2023) and returning from that previous outing are vocalist Alyssa Allgood and drummer Devin Drobka. Anchored by the rock steady pulse of bassist Ethan Philion, the title track opens with Reichert and ...
Continue Reading...Kenny Reichert: Deep Breath
by Richard J Salvucci
Kenny Reichert is a Chicago-based guitarist of broad background, Berklee training, and wide-ranging tastes in pop and jazz. He has self-released one studio album, Interpretations (2015). Reichert records mostly originals. If you are looking for influences, “Spears" (a play on “Sphere"?) sounds Thelonious Sphere Monk-ish enough, with plenty of solo space for saxophonist Tony Barba woven in. Barba can hold his own with anyone. Reichert does not shy away from vocals either. His lyricist and singer is Alyssa ...
Continue Reading...“...a distinctive player and composer with wide-ranging idiomatic inklings.”
— DownBeat Magazine
“When one considers how accomplished Reichert shows himself to be as a guitarist, bandleader, and writer, the words triple threat come to mind.”
— Textura
“Reichert works extremely hard to make his sound come across as casual.”
— All About Jazz
“...a guitarist firmly carving his own path.”
—UK Vibe
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