Rufus Reid – Celebration Review

Rufus Reid is a bassist and composer that is an active presence since the 1970s. Reid has recorded over 500 albums, including 25 as a leader. I personally fell in love with Reid’s sound and playing while constantly listening to Joe Henderson’s 1991 release The Standard Joe, which features the saxophonist in a trio with bassist Reid and drummer Al Foster. Reid has written for strings, chamber ensembles, solo bass, jazz ensembles of varying sizes, and symphony orchestras as a composer. He has had the privilege of having all of them performed. As an educator, Reid and Dr. Martin Krivin created the Jazz Studies and Performance Bachelor of Music Program at William Paterson University. This program offered the first professional academically accredited Bachelor of Music in Jazz Studies in the NY, NJ, and CT tri-state areas. As an author, his book The Evolving Bassist (Myriad Limited, 1974) remains one of the industry standards for jazz double bass methodology.

Celebration features Reid’s jazz trio with the internationally acclaimed Sirius Quartet performing six unique string arrangements that draw equally from jazz and Western classical music. Reid is joined by pianist Sam Allee and Duduka Da Fonseca – drums (2-10) and Kenneth Salters – drums (1 & 11). The album contains eleven selections, two compositions are by Allee, five songs feature just piano, bass, and drums, and the balance mixes classical and jazz to vividly demonstrate the common ground between the two disciplines.

The title track greets us as the opening selection to demonstrate the synchronicity between the Sirius Quartet and the jazz trio. A catchy ostinato figure supports the strings as they float above the swing feel. The lyrical melody has many twists and turns that feature the trio and the string quartet. Violinist Gregor Huebner and cellist Jeremy Harman perform impressive, improvised solos, as does Allee. Reid’s bass sound is warm and supportive, and his time feel with Salters is outstanding.

Reid’s “Celestial Dance” has seen many explorations through the years and is one of his repertoire’s mainstays. For this project, the waltz-centered melody is augmented with the rich sounds of the Sirius Quartet. The string arrangement has an equilibrium and melds with the trio. Huebner performs another stirring violin solo. Reid’s solo finds the bassist exploring the melodic possibilities of the song’s harmony across his instrument. The soli section is wonderfully arranged and melds classical and jazz.

Celebration is a project that shows the iconic bass player continues to evolve and push his music and playing situations in ways that refine and expand the jazz idiom.  Celebration is a beautiful project that will appeal to jazz fans and string quartet enthusiasts alike.