Eric Reed

Biography

Eric Scott Reed is an American jazz pianist, composer, bandleader, and educator, widely recognized as one of the leading straight‑ahead jazz pianists of his generation. Born on June 21, 1970, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, he was raised in a deeply musical, church-centered environment, playing piano in his father’s storefront Baptist church from early childhood.[2][4] A noted child prodigy, he began picking out hymns on the piano at around age two and started formal lessons at seven at Philadelphia’s Settlement Music School, though he often learned pieces by ear rather than from the page.[2][4] After his family moved to Los Angeles when he was eleven, Reed continued his studies at the Richard D. Colburn School of Performing Arts and was mentored by composer and educator Harold Battiste, immersing himself in jazz recordings by Ahmad Jamal, Horace Silver, Erroll Garner, Oscar Peterson, McCoy Tyner, and others.[2]

By his mid‑teens, Reed was already working professionally around Los Angeles, leading his own groups and performing with veterans such as Teddy Edwards, Gerald Wilson, Clora Bryant, and John Clayton.[2] At 18, he began touring with trumpeter Wynton Marsalis, and soon became the pianist in Marsalis’s acclaimed Septet (1990–91, 1992–95) and a member of the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra (1996–98), appearing on major albums including Citi Movement, In This House, On This Morning, Jump Start and Jazz, Blood on the Fields, and Standard Time, Vol. 5: The Midnight Blues.[1][2] During this period he also worked with Freddie Hubbard and Joe Henderson and began releasing his own records as a leader, eventually building a discography of 30‑plus albums that showcase his command of swing, bebop, gospel harmony, and the blues.[1][6] Reed’s style blends the rhythmic drive and hard‑swinging language of pianists like Horace Silver and Ahmad Jamal with the harmonic richness and sanctified feeling drawn from Black gospel, a synthesis that has earned him praise from elders such as Ahmad Jamal, who called him "one of my very favorite pianists."[2]

From the mid‑1990s onward, Reed has toured internationally with his own trios and larger ensembles, topped jazz radio charts with albums like Pure Imagination and Manhattan Melodies, and branched into film scoring, including music for the Eddie Murphy–Martin Lawrence film Life.[2] He has collaborated with a wide spectrum of jazz and popular artists—among them Elvin Jones, Benny Carter, Wayne Shorter, Ron Carter, Cassandra Wilson, Jimmy Heath, Clark Terry, Dianne Reeves, Quincy Jones, Natalie Cole, and Edwin Hawkins—and has become increasingly active as an educator and artistic director.[2][6] In the 2010s and 2020s, Reed continued to record prolifically, including the deeply personal album Black, Brown & Blue, which he has described as his most autobiographical work and his first project made while living openly as a bisexual man.[1][3] Alongside his performance and recording career, he has held university teaching positions, including succeeding pianist Donald Brown at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, further cementing his role as a bridge between jazz’s storied past and its emerging generations.[3][6]

Fun Facts

• Eric Reed was such a prodigy that he began playing piano at around age two and could play gospel music in his father’s church by the time he was five, yet he often preferred to learn pieces entirely by ear instead of reading the written music, confounding his early teachers.[2][4]
• As a teenager in Los Angeles, Reed effectively "self‑taught" himself jazz by systematically checking out classic albums from his neighborhood library, devouring recordings by Ahmad Jamal, Erroll Garner, Oscar Peterson, McCoy Tyner, and others until, by age thirteen, he had absorbed much of the core jazz canon players were expected to know.[2]
• Reed’s album Pure Imagination became a breakout success on jazz radio, reaching #1 on the Gavin chart and remaining there for seven weeks, which led to him being named Gavin’s Artist of the Year in 1999.[2]
• In addition to his work as a jazz pianist, Reed has composed for film, including contributing music to the 1999 Hollywood comedy Life starring Eddie Murphy and Martin Lawrence, demonstrating his range beyond the jazz club and concert hall.[2]

Musical Connections

Mentors/Influences

• Eric Reed’s father (unnamed in sources) - Earliest musical influence; minister who led a storefront Baptist church and sang with the Bay State Singers, introducing Reed to gospel music and church performance. (Childhood church music and hymns in Philadelphia Baptist services.) [Early 1970s–early 1980s (childhood and pre‑teen years).]
• Harold Battiste - Composer and educator who mentored Reed in Los Angeles, encouraging his development as a jazz pianist and composer during his formative teenage years. (Guidance during Reed’s early professional work and studies, leading to performances with local jazz bands.) [Early to mid‑1980s (Reed’s early teens).]
• Ahmad Jamal - Major stylistic influence; one of the recorded pianists Reed studied intensively as a teenager and a later elder supporter who publicly praised his playing. (Influence reflected across Reed’s trio recordings and approach to space, touch, and swing.) [Recorded influence from early 1980s onward; personal association from 1990s onward.]
• Horace Silver - Key stylistic influence whose recordings Reed "was checking out" instead of classical repertoire as a student; contributed to Reed’s hard‑bop and gospel‑infused approach. (Impact evident in early leader albums such as It’s All Right to Swing and The Swing and I.) [Influence from early 1980s onward.]

Key Collaborators

• Wynton Marsalis - Primary early‑career collaborator; Reed toured and recorded widely as pianist in Marsalis’s Septet and with related projects. (Albums including Citi Movement (1992), In This House, On This Morning (1993), Jump Start and Jazz (1996), Blood on the Fields (1997), and Standard Time, Vol. 5: The Midnight Blues (1998).) [Touring and recording roughly 1988–1995 in the Septet and early 1990s on key albums.]
• Jazz at Lincoln Center / Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra - Member of the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra, performing in concerts, tours, and media appearances. (Numerous concerts and recordings with the orchestra while under Wynton Marsalis’s artistic leadership.) [1996–1998.]
• Freddie Hubbard - Worked as a sideman in Hubbard’s band early in his career, solidifying Reed’s reputation among top-tier jazz musicians. (Touring and performances as Hubbard’s pianist; specific albums are not detailed in the cited sources.) [1991–1992.[1][2]]
• Joe Henderson - Performed as pianist in Henderson’s band, gaining experience with a major modern jazz saxophonist. (Touring and sideman work; specific recordings not specified in sources.) [Early 1990s (around 1991–1992).[1][2]]
• Elvin Jones - Performed and recorded with the legendary drummer, situating Reed within a lineage connected to John Coltrane’s rhythm section. (Concerts and recording projects listed among Reed’s professional credits.) [Mid‑1990s onward.[2]]
• Benny Carter - Collaborated in performance and/or recording, associating Reed with one of the great swing‑to‑modern era arrangers and saxophonists. (Guest and sideman appearances with Carter as cited in artist biographies.) [1990s.[2][6]]
• Wayne Shorter - Listed among the masters with whom Reed has performed, underscoring his stature in modern jazz circles. (Selected performances with Shorter; specific albums not cited.) [1990s–2000s.[2]]
• Ron Carter - Performed and/or recorded with the eminent bassist, further linking Reed to classic and contemporary jazz traditions. (Live appearances and recording projects referenced in professional bios.) [1990s–2000s.[2][6]]
• Cassandra Wilson - Worked as a pianist with vocalist Cassandra Wilson, contributing to cross‑generational jazz collaborations. (Concerts and sessions mentioned in artist management and label materials.) [1990s–2000s.[2]]
• Dianne Reeves - Performed as pianist for the noted jazz vocalist on various concerts and projects. (Tour dates and collaborative performances listed in his professional biography.) [1990s–2000s.[2][6]]
• Quincy Jones - Part of the diverse roster of major figures Reed has worked with, reflecting his reach beyond straight‑ahead jazz. (Performances and/or recording projects led or produced by Jones, as noted in management biographies.) [1990s–2000s.[2]]
• Natalie Cole - Collaborated with the Grammy‑winning vocalist, highlighting Reed’s versatility in jazz and popular music. (Live and studio work cited among his credits.) [1990s.[2]]
• Edwin Hawkins - Initially a gospel influence and later a collaborator, bridging Reed’s church roots with his professional career. (Performances and projects with Hawkins, building on Reed’s lifelong engagement with gospel.) [Influence from 1970s recordings; collaboration in 1990s–2000s.[2]]

Artists Influenced

• Students at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville (collective) - As successor to Donald Brown as piano instructor, Reed mentors and trains emerging jazz pianists and ensembles, transmitting his blend of gospel, swing, and modern jazz. (Private instruction, ensemble coaching, and academic courses in jazz performance and history.) [2020s.[3]]
• Young jazz musicians in his touring ensembles (collective) - Leads his own groups featuring "some of the finest young talent on the scene," providing bandstand training and exposure that shape their professional development. (Tours and recordings with Eric Reed’s trios and quintets from the mid‑1990s onward.) [Mid‑1990s–present.[2]]

Discography

Albums

Top Tracks

1. A Little Taste (A Little Taste)
2. Waltz No. 1, Op. 39 (Brahms On Brass)
3. Waltz No. 3, Op. 39 (Brahms On Brass)
4. Waltz No. 6, Op. 39 (Brahms On Brass)
5. Waltz No. 15, Op. 39 (Brahms On Brass)
6. Kinderszenen for Brass Quintet: I. Von fremden Ländern und Menschen (Carnaval)
7. Kinderszenen for Brass Quintet: II. Kuriose Geschichte (Carnaval)
8. Kinderszenen for Brass Quintet: V. Glückes genug (Carnaval)
9. Kinderszenen for Brass Quintet: VI. Wichtige Begebenheit (Carnaval)
10. Kinderszenen for Brass Quintet: VIII. Am Kamin (Carnaval)

External Links

• Spotify
• Wikipedia