External links
- Official site
- Stanford Jazz Workshop
- Rufus Reid at Motéma Music
- Rufus Reid Interview NAMM Oral History Program (2005)
Rufus Reid | |
|---|---|
| Born | February 10, 1944 Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. |
| Origin | Chicago, Illinois |
| Genre | Jazz |
| Occupation | Musician |
| Instrument | Bass |
| Years active | 1976–present |
| Labels | Motéma, Sunnyside, Atlantic, Soul Note, Evidence, Concord |
| Website | www |
Rufus Reid (born February 10, 1944, in Atlanta, Georgia) is an American jazz bassist, educator, and composer.
Reid was raised in Sacramento, California, where he played the trumpet through junior high and high school. Upon graduation from Sacramento High School, he entered the United States Air Force as a trumpet player. During that period, he began to be seriously interested in the double bass.
After fulfilling his duties in the military, Rufus had decided he wanted to pursue a career as a professional bassist. He moved to Seattle, Washington, where he studied bass with James Harnett of the Seattle Symphony. He continued his education at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, where he studied with Warren Benfield and principal bassist, Joseph Guastefeste, both of the Chicago Symphony. He graduated in 1971 with a Bachelor of Music Degree as a Performance Major on the Double Bass.
Rufus Reid's major professional career began in Chicago and continues since 1976 in New York City. Playing with hundreds of the world's greatest musicians, he is famously the bassist that saxophonist Dexter Gordon chose when he returned to the states from his decade-long exile in Denmark. His colleagues include Thad Jones, Nancy Wilson, Eddie Harris, and Bob Berg.
Reid directed the Jazz Studies program at William Paterson University from 1979 to 1999. After retiring from that position, he spent five years attending the weekly BMI Jazz Composer's Workshop in New York City. Reid has also served on the faculty of the biannual Milt Hinton Institute for Studio Bass, which moved to Montclair State University in 2024.
At the 57th Annual Grammy Awards in 2015, Reid received two nominations: Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album for Quiet Pride: The Elizabeth Catlett Project and Best Instrumental Composition for "Recognition," a track from the same album. "Reid’s book, The Evolving Bassist, in publication since 1974, remains the industry standard for double bass methodology".
Reid has been a resident of Teaneck, New Jersey.
Reid's double bass is a Josef Rieger circa 1805.
With Akira Tana
With Kenny Barron
With Jane Ira Bloom
With Kenny Burrell
With Donald Byrd
With George Cables
With Art Farmer
With Ricky Ford
With Frank Foster and Frank Wess
With Stan Getz
With Dexter Gordon
With Eddie Harris
With Andrew Hill
With J. J. Johnson
With Lee Konitz
With Rob Schneiderman
With The Thad Jones/ Mel Lewis Orchestra
With others
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