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Without a Trace • SCOTT REEVES JAZZ ORCHESTRA FT. STEVE WILSON & Carolyn Leonhart
Origin Records
Release date: March 2018
"Without a Trace" is the second recording on Origin Records by the Scott Reeves Jazz Orchestra. It features outstanding New York musicians such as saxophonists Steve Wilson and Tim Armacost, pianist Jim Ridl and vocalist Carolyn Leonhart. Scott's music carves out a new approach to big band writing by combining a contemporary harmonic palette and non-traditional forms with infectious, swinging grooves and great soloing by world-class jazz musicians.
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Portraits and places • SCOTT REEVES JAZZ ORCHESTRA FT. STEVE WILSON
Origin Records
Release date: March 2016
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"Osaka June, 3 'n 2, the L & T Suite and Last Call were all composed or arranged during my tenure in the BMI Jazz Composer's Workshop. Founded by Bob Brookmeyer, the workshop has nurtured many professional writers and allowed me to hone my compositional skills while receiving feedback from Manny Albam, Mike Abene, Jim McNeely and Mike Holober. Osaka June was written for the daughter of two of my former City College of New York students - Kaoru Kawahigashi and Jesse Forest. The L & T Suite is dedicated to my lovely and talented wife, Janet. Woven in the fabric of the composition are thematic quotes from Aaron Copland's Appalachian Spring, Igor Stravinsky's Petrushka, Leonard Bernstein's Age of Anxiety, and Bela Bartok's The Miraculous Mandarin. Dedicated to the memory of the great pianist James Williams, The Soulful Mr. Williams was arranged for the Bill Mobley Big Band during our tenure at the New York City jazz club, Smoke. Antonio Carlos Jobim's enchanting Aguas de Marco (Waters of March) was the result of a commission from the Westchester Jazz Orchestra."
THANK YOU
Thanks to Duke Ellington, Thad Jones, Gil Evans, Bob Brookmeyer, David Baker, Manny Albam, Mike Abene, Kenny Werner, Jim McNeely, Mike Holober, Janet Reeves, and all the incredible musicians who participated in this recording.
Produced by Scott Reeves
Recorded by Paul Special
Assistant engineers: Dawid Arciszewski, Michael Paliocha, Jonathan Wright
Recorded at the Sonic Arts Center, City College of New York, NYC, January 6 & 7, 2015
Mixed by Brian Montgomery at Brian Montgomery Studio, Astoria, NY
Mastered by Michael MacDonald at AlgoRhythms Mastering, Santa Fe, NM
Session photography by Janet Reeves
Photo of the Golden Pavilion (Kinkaku-ji) in Kyoto by Scott Reeves
Cover design & layout by John Bishop
SHAPE SHIFTER • SCOTT REEVES QUINTET LIVE AT CECIL'S
Miles High Records
Release date: March 17, 2009
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"Shape Shifter was recorded live over two nights at Cecil's Jazz Club, drummer Cecil Brooks III's nightclub in West Orange, New Jersey. Of his sideman, Reeves says, 'I love tenor-saxophonist Rich Perry's playing because he knows how to develop a solo and he is not a cliché player. The rest of the band is actually the rhythm section in a second group that I lead, Manhattan Bones, which has four trombones and three rhythm. Pianist Jim Ridl, bassist Mike McGuirk and drummer Andy Watson are great accompanists, strong soloists, and incredible readers.'
While Scott Reeves is best known as a trombonist, on seven of the nine numbers he plays alto flugelhorn, switching to the alto valve trombone for two other selections.
Reeves explains, 'I fell in love awhile ago with the alto flugelhorn, which was made by a German company. It is a fifth lower than a regular flugelhorn and I use a modified trombone mouthpiece. Its sound is a combination of the valve trombone, French horn and the flugelhorn played in the lower register. As far as I know I'm the only one in jazz playing that instrument. In recent years I designed the alto valve trombone which is a standard valve trombone with one-third of the tubing cut off'"
-Scott Yanow
(Scott Yanow is the author of ten jazz books including The Jazz Singers, Bebop, Trumpet Kings, Jazz On Film, and Jazz On Record 1917-76)
TRIBUTE • MANHATTAN BONES
CD Baby
Release date: 2004
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"Tribute is a tour of trombone traditions and swinging modern
ensemble playing....two adventurous highlights are the leader's
originals. 'Waltz for Shape Shifter' has a Reeves' alto valve trombone solo tesitying over a haunting vamp, plus Ridi cascading and swirling in mutimetic exchanges with trombone ensembles. 'Congressional Roll Call' ...finds Sessions soloing with maximum slides and slurs and Reeves adding an incisive alto flugelhorn solo..."
- George Kanzler, All About Jazz/NY, December 2005 issue
Scott Reeves, trombone
Tim Sessions, trombone
Mark Patterson, trombone
Tim Newman, bass trombone
Jim Ridi, piano
Mike McGuirk, bass
Andy Watson, drums
Congressional Roll Call
Creative Jazz Records
Release date: February 1, 2004
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For "Congressional Roll Call" Scott has assembled a group of some of the most prominent jazz artists in New York. Pianist Kenny Werner is known for his work with Joe Lovano and the Vanguard Orchestra, and was recently nominated for a Grammy for his recording with Toots Theilman. Bill Mobley is one of the top call New York trumpeters. Pianist James Williams was musical director for Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers and Elvin Jones's Quintet. Bassist John Lockwood and
drummer Bob Guillotti comprise two-thirds of the legendary Boston free jazz group, The Fringe.
The CD features three latin jazz selections, the standard "Speak Low" and originals "Ciao Luna" and "Saudado." Free interplay marks the performance of the title track "Congressional Roll Call," while "You Are What You Think" features Scott's alto flugelhorn in a meditative chant floating over an Australian didgeridoo drone. An uptempo version of the standard "Spring Is Here" brings the CD to an exciting conclusion.
Scott Reeves - trombone, alto flugelhorn, didgeridoo (1 - 3)
Bill Mobley - trumpet, flugelhorn (4 - 9)
Kenny Werner - piano (1, 2, 7, 9)
James Williams - piano (3, 4, 5, 8)
John Lockwood - bass
Bob Gullotti - drums
Janet Reeves - vocals (5)
You are what you think
Brownstone Records
Release date: October 27, 1998
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With diverse musical credits that range from Clark Terry to Anthony Braxton to the Temptations, here is a trombonist for all seasons. For this groundbreaking new Brownstone release, Reeves showcases the alto flugelhorn, an E-flat instrument he describes as a cross between a flugelhorn, French horn and valve trombone. And he is possibly the only one using this rare instrument as a primary vehicle in jazz today.
"As far as I know, I am the only person playing the alto horn in jazz," Reeves explains. "I feel my own voice comes through on it even more than on the trombone."
Reeves features the alto flugelhorn on the meditative-inspired title track, You Are What You Think. It is a double-tracked feature: He first recorded himself playing the didgeridoo, an Aboriginal bamboo instrument; by utilizing circular breathing and vocalization effects, Reeves fills the air with a distinctively Australian drone. He then added the melody on alto flugelhorn, which has a tonal range between the trombone and trumpet.
As jazz critic Ken Franckling notes, "It may well be one of the most exotic and eclectic pieces to surface anywhere this year on a jazz release."
Reeves enlists an all-star cast to support the balance of this remarkable Brownstone debut. Pianist Kenny Werner, author of the highly regarded new book, Effortless Mastery, is a master at getting inside the music. He indeed, loses himself on this date to make new discoveries with Reeves' compositions. Veteran trumpeter Bill Mobley and the leader are fast friends in the music from many years ago when the two hornmen lived in Memphis. The studio band is completed by two of Boston's most versatile and busiest sidemen, bassist John Lockwood and drummer Bob Gullotti.
Scott Reeves - trombone, alto flugelhorn, didgeridoo
Kenny Werner - piano
Bill Mobley - trumpet, flugelhorn
John Lockwood - bass
Bob Gullotti - drums