On this basic piano trio CD, Eric Reed is quite assertive on many different levels. His piano playing is maturing, growing stronger and deeper, stripping himself of clichés and past influences. He's chosen to take established songs and standards and modify them to his liking. A fine rhythm section of bassist Reginald Veal and drummer Gregory Hutchinson moves the music forward, and, as you might expect, the songs are based on his New York, New York experience. You'd be hard pressed, upon hearing his take of the old Harpers Bizarre Merseybeat Top 40 hit "59th St. Bridge Song (Feelin' Groovy)" to recognize it from the original. Reed has re-harmonized it beautifully into a modern jazz vehicle for his own melodic trappings…
Youthful pianist Eric Reed, who at the time of this recording was debuting as Marcus Roberts' replacement in the Wynton Marsalis band, plays carefully and sometimes tentatively on his first release as a leader. It's a trio affair, and although Reed doesn't throw many challenges toward bassist Dwayne Burno or drummer Gregory Hutchinson, he's certainly a solid player with the potential to become a great one.
Eric Reed celebrates the music of Black and Brown composers on his deeply personal album Black, Brown, and Blue featuring a brilliant new trio with bassist Luca Alemanno and drummer Reggie Quinerly.
Eric Reed has recorded close to 30 accomplished leader albums showcasing his virtuosic chops, intellectual clarity, unwavering will to swing, and ability to refract and coalesce a wide range of musical, spiritual, and personal influences into a single stream of consciousness. Perhaps the most personal of them all is For Such a Time as This. It is a powerful and uplifting program framed by the realities of global pandemic anxiety, persistent racism and racial injustice, and an acrimonious, fraught Presidential election season.
It is easy to be fooled initially by pianist Eric Reed's latest recording. He starts off the set with an effective tribute to Art Blakey and sometimes takes solos that are influenced by McCoy Tyner's chord voicings, but the music on a whole is actually fresh and fairly original, rather than just a copy of the Blue Note years. Except for the final two numbers (pieces by James Leary and Wessell Anderson), all of the music was composed by Reed, and these range from somber ballads and solid swing to the upbeat church feel of "Baby Sis" (which has a heated wah-wah solo from guest trombonist Wycliffe Gordon).
Eric Reed's trio meeting with bassist Rodney Whitaker and drummer Willie Jones III covers a lot of musical ground. Starting with a dash through Benny Golson's "Stablemates," a playful interpretation full of quotes and detours into Monk-like chords and classical-flavored runs, Reed works effortlessly to keep the most familiar songs sounding new. John Coltrane's "26-2" is performed infrequently, but the pianist delights in its meandering theme as a challenge to his improvising skills. The sole standard is a sparse, lyrical arrangement of Rodgers & Hart's tearjerker ballad "It's Easy to Remember." The bulk of the session focuses on Reed's rewarding compositions. The jaunty "I.C.H.N. (For Herbie Nichols)" captures the spirit of a brilliant composer and pianist who was neglected by everyone except hip musicians during his all-too-brief life.
Pure Imagination finds pianist Eric Reed offering fresh arrangements of traditional pop songs from classic Broadway and Hollywood productions. Supported by bassist Reginald Veal and drummer Gregory Hutchinson, Reed offers tasteful, inventive versions of such songs as "Maria," "Hello, Young Lovers," "42nd Street," "Send in the Clowns," "Nice Work If You Can Get It" and "I Got Rhythm." It's a clever, engaging record that only confirms that Reed is a singular pianist.