[Dixielandjazz] Eric Reed was Arrangements vs. Improvisation

[Stephen Barbone]

Hi Dave & List Mates:

I agree with you that Eric may not be OKOM. He is hard to put in a category. He is a Philadelphia Jazz pianist, in his
early 30s. His discography, is a real mixture of styles & tunes. Some gospel music (that's where he started), like
"Precious Lord Take My Hand" which is New Orleans OKOM and then stuff like Cherokee, which before Bird adapted it for Ko
Ko was pretty close to OKOM. (As done by composer Ray Noble) and then some stuff like "Embraceable You" or "Mood
Indigo", which could be described as OKOM by some.

I never have heard his current group, but every once in a while, I run into him in Philly and as I hear him, he is
mostly a "straight ahead" jazz player as the term is used here. He is a monster musician, very serious about his work,
and does seem to be making a living at it. So I guess he really is not OKOM is this list defines it.

He is, however, well worth listening to IMO and is relatively famous and relatively popular as jazz musicians go. ;-)

He also served some time in the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra under Wynton Marsalis and whether that was OKOM or not
depends upon one's point of view. And, as we know, Wycliffe Gordon who is in Eric's current band, is also a varied style
musician. From OKOM, to Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra, to ?

Reed's approach to music is interesting. He is putting his own stamp on "Mainstream Jazz", and he is scoring a lot of
the intricate ensemble according to the review. That is what I would like to hear. It could be a more modern adaptation
of what Charlie Shavers did when scoring "Sweet Georgia Brown" for the John Kirby sextet of the late 1930s. That
ensemble score is a monster, a real treat to hear, and that's why I would like to hear this group.

Cheers,
Steve Barbone


David Livingston wrote:

> Steve, looking at Eric Reed's Discography web page,
> http://www.ericreed.net/discography.html I would have
> to think that he isn't OKOM. Looking at his tour dates
> it seems he is liked all over the world.
>
> --- Stephen Barbone <barbonestreet at earthlink.net>
> wrote:
>
> >
> > Is this group OKOM? I don't know, haven't heard
> > them. But, it does
> > include some great players some of whom I have
> > heard, like Wycliffe
> > Gordon and Marcus Strickland. And it does include
> > references to the
> > music of Basie, and Ellington.
> >
> > And the idea of mixing styles from different eras
> > appeals to me.  As
> > well as the last sentence in the review pointing out
> > that: "this was a
> > tremendous rhythm section, kicking the horn players
> > ahead and eliciting
> > shouts from the audience."
> >
> > That sounds like OKOM to me.
> >
> > Cheers,
> > Steve Barbone
>
> =====
> David Livingston
> Dixieland Gumbo -- Internet Radio
> Today's hot bands playing OKOM!
> http://www.dixielandgumbo.com/
>
> If you are interested in getting airplay for your traditional Jazz recordings, contact me at davel at dixielandgumbo.com