Eddie Reyes has evolved a very personal style from his many influences: his Mexican/ Puerto Rican heritage, his years of jazz and classical training and the time he spent in New York City working with some of the Big Apple's finest players.
He studied composition, guitar and piano at Berklee College of Music, graduated Summa Cum Laude and moved to New York in the 80's. He has performed with jazz artists Gonzalo Rubalcaba, Wallace Roney, Alex Acuña, Harvey Swartz, Claudio Roditi, Dave Valentin, Chico Hamilton in addition to working with his own Afro/Cuban, Brazilian, Flamenco Jazz ensemble. His principal instruments are electric & acoustic guitars and piano and he also adds his voice as a melodic backdrop to his compositions.
Having fallen in love with the power, passion and rhythmic complexity of Flamenco guitar, and having studied with master Flamenco guitarists Paco Arroyo, Paco Cortez, Paco Serrano and Jason McGuire, he now fuses his previous influences with this vital and deep form on his latest CD, LOST WORLD.
Utilizing percussion instruments used in sacred ceremonies, with a compositional sensibility derived from jazz and classical worlds and healthy dose of Flamenco inspiration, funk and rock, LOST WORLD is a blend of Afro-Caribbean-Flamenco world beat, a jazz cultivated in the streets of New York, Miami and Los Angeles and textures drawn from the Middle East, the Balkans, India and the Celtic highlands.
In the scoring realm. he recently contributed music for a few of legendary writer David Milch’s HBO projects, DEADWOOD and JOHN FROM CINCINATTI. Also showcasing his work is the recent feature film THE PAINTING. In the early days of his musical pursuits in NYC he composed most of the musical underscore for the Academy Award nominated film BLUE VELVET in which his orchestral and jazz writing is featured. Other film work includes the scores to THE CHAIR, a quirky black comedy, SHELL SHOCK, an Israeli film about the Six Day War for which he wrote an intense and driving jazz score, and THE FIRES WITHIN (for Showtime), a probing look into the aftermath of the devastating riots in Los Angeles featuring Bata drums and Reyes on Delta blues influenced guitar. Documentary scoring includes SWIMMING IN AIDS, THE LOST UNIVERSE, and VOICES FROM BEYOND. His music is heard as the television logo for PBS "Great Performances" as well as the IMAX film logo for NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC.
With his multiple-award winning Santa Monica based music production company, SCHTUNG MUSIC, Reyes also works as a composer, guitarist and pianist on numerous commercials and trailers. Recent trailer assignments had him composing and orchestrating for, and conducting a 65 piece orchestra for THOMAS AND THE MAGIC RAILROAD while at the same time laying down grunge and acoustic guitar textures and soaring electric leads for the kung fu movie, CHINA WHITE, starring Coolio. He recently won a Telly Award for his music for the BLUE PLANET RUN and in concert with his partner Andrew Hagen, he won a CLIO AWARD for the Coca-Cola spot "CONTRAPTION”.
His musical theatre work includes adaptations of the Oscar Wilde classic THE PICTURE OF DORIAN GRAY (world premiere in 2002), THE CIRCUS OF DR. LAO (optioned for Broadway), and ESPERANZA (an original), songs for musical adaptations of ARSENIC AND OLD LACE, DOUBLE INDEMNITY, and THE BRIDGE OF SAN LUIS REY as well as many individual songs and special material for cabaret artists.
Reyes is a native of the San Francisco Bay Area and is based in Los Angeles.
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