Rufus Reid Trio and Sirius Quartet: Celebration

Rufus Reid Trio and Sirius Quartet: Celebration

Rufus Reid, bass
Steve Allee, piano
Kenneth Salters, drums

Fung Chern Hwei, violin
Gregor Huebner, violin
Sunjay Jayaram, viola
Jeremy Harman, cello

Rufus Reid is one of a handful of true renaissance figures in the Arts.  This bassist and composer has been an active presence in the jazz world since the 1970’s.  He has recorded over 500 albums, 25 under his own name, with Terrestrial Dance and Always In The Moment released in Vinyl by Newvelle Records.  The 2022 CD release, Celebration, features the jazz trio with Sirius Quartet.  Reid can be heard on recordings with Dexter Gordon, Andrew Hill, The Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Quartet, Kenny Barron, Stan Getz, J.J. Johnson, Lee Konitz, Jack DeJohnette and many others.  

This is what Rufus Reid has to say of the recording of Celebration which we are now offering for touring:

“I have always wanted to record the trio with strings. When I heard the Bill Evans’ 1960 album with strings (Bill Evans Trio with Symphony Orchestra, Claus Ogerman, arranger, conductor), I fell in love with that concept. I still love that recording! So, that’s what we did. Two years after the release of the vinyl and two more years consumed by the pandemic, we went back into the studio with the Sirius Quartet and Kenneth Salters to add two additional compositions to the vinyl’s existing tracks. We recorded “Celebration,” my composition, and Steve Allee’s “The Rise of The Row”. These two new pieces bookend the CD. We also restored Sam Jones’ “One For Amos” from the original recording session that was not included in the album. The Sirius Quartet is truly serious and a joy to work with! As a unit, they have an awesome sound. Their contribution to this recording is huge! They made our arrangements and ensemble writing truly sing. Their individual solos were glistening, as well.”

Sirius Quartet continues their commitment to musical innovation with original works by its own members, pushing beyond the conventions of string instruments by incorporating gripping improvisations and an undeniable modern groove. In 2019, they premiered their new program and album New World, a politically-charged work that explores themes of immigration, discrimination, and social change. The album was released August 23, 2019 on ZOHO Records. The album and its program is both an impassioned lament for the state of a nation and beyond, and a beautiful and hopeful call to action.  Since their debut concert at the original Knitting Factory in New York City, Sirius has played some of the most important venues in the world, including Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center's Alice Tully Hall, the Beijing Music Festival, the Cologne Music Triennale, the Beethoven-Haus Bonn, Stuttgart Jazz, Musique Actuelle in Canada, the Taichung Jazz Fest – Taiwan's biggest jazz event – and many others.

Reid was gifted with the grace of swinging and grooving, even when merely ‘walking’ his bass. His experience and sound make every note he plays speak the essence of jazz.”   Jazz Trail, October 5th, 2022

“Sirius belongs to the rare breed of string ensemble whose members improvise fluently. The quartet appears on six of the album’s 11 tracks — they alternate with Reid’s stand-alone trio — to gloriously interpret the bassist’s rangy command of this format.”

Neil Tesser,  Jazziz, December 13th, 2022

Photo by Asher and Oak Photography. Download hi-res file here

Celebration CD promo video:

“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.” 

Chalked Up Reviews, February 27th, 2023

Photo by John Abbot. Click here for hi-res file

“This project’s an outstanding example of how the string quartet can be incorporated into the jazz piano trio to form something unique and intimate while also being a potent expressive tool for the composer.”

Ferell Aubre, The Jazz Word

Photo by Franz Geller. Download hi-res image here

Photo by Franz Geller. Download hi-res image here