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Eric Reed Quartet at Smoke

By Nick Catalano
March 14, 2023
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A garrulous

Eric Reed

piano
b.1970

" data-original-title="" title="">Eric Reed traveled from his teaching gig at the University of Tennessee to lead a quartet at Smoke on March 9, 2023. Before the first set began Reed delivered lengthy commentary on

Miles Davis

trumpet
1926 - 1991

" data-original-title="" title="">Miles Davis,

Benny Golson

saxophone, tenor
1929 - 2024

" data-original-title="" title="">Benny Golson and the recently deceased

Wayne Shorter

saxophone
1933 - 2023

" data-original-title="" title="">Wayne Shorter, and included compositions by the latter two in the opening set. His sidemen included saxophonist Chris Lewis, bassist

Dezron Douglas

bass

" data-original-title="" title="">Dezron Douglas and drummer

Kendrick Scott

drums
b.1980

" data-original-title="" title="">Kendrick Scott. Compositions from Reed's 2023 Smoke Sessions album Black, Brown and Blue were also featured in the set.

On the opening tune, Shorter's "Yes or No," energetic solos emanated from Lewis and Reed whose theme and variations iteration contained strong head statements with variations that were largely invariable. Scott supplied intriguing "stick on stick" pyrotechnics in his lengthy solo with solid support from Douglas. Golson's popular swing tune "Along Came Betty" followed in a tempo that reflected a performance given over 40 years ago by

Pat Martino

guitar
1944 - 2021

" data-original-title="" title="">Pat Martino.

Reed delivered a sustained tribute to jazz figure

Herbie Nichols

piano
1919 - 1963

" data-original-title="" title="">Herbie Nichols whose musicianship greatly influenced Reed, long ago inspiring his dedicatory composition "ICHN." A vibrant rendition of

Thelonious Monk

piano
1917 - 1982

" data-original-title="" title="">Thelonious Monk's tune "Thelonious" followed with sublime soloing from Reed and Lewis.

The Quartet performed with dexterous synchronicity and precise jazz conversation which has been a hallmark of hard bop and post-bop groups performing at Smoke since its inception. The small stage and clear audience sight lines demand a cohesiveness other present-day jazz rooms have not focused upon. They present wide varieties of musical stylists so that their audiences can continually expand. This is all fine, of course, but the small, tight, hard bop groups featuring such leaders as

Horace Silver

piano
1928 - 2014

" data-original-title="" title="">Horace Silver,

Bud Powell

piano
1924 - 1966

" data-original-title="" title="">Bud Powell,

Clifford Brown

trumpet
b.1930

" data-original-title="" title="">Clifford Brown,

Lou Donaldson

saxophone
1926 - 2024

" data-original-title="" title="">Lou Donaldson,

Art Blakey

drums
1919 - 1990

" data-original-title="" title="">Art Blakey and others were the essence of the magic in rooms like Basin Street, (the old) Birdland, the Five Spot, Fat Tuesday's, Sweet Basil's, and similar venues of yore.

Smoke has recaptured that essence and its new edition continues the tradition of that synchronous magic.

Eric Reed �� Black, Brown, and Blue

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