Darryl Reeves
The Activator
© 2002 Continuum Music (783707529929)
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A straight-ahead jazz record with a soulful twist.
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Saxophonist, composer, and visionary, Darryl Reeves is one of the nation's emerging young musicians with an eye towards change. Already capturing the attention of many established artists in the industry, Reeves is quickly presenting a new outlook in music. Captivating audiences throughout his performances, the heart and soul of Reeves his unselfishly poured onto them through his saxophone.
Darryl Reeves was born in Jackson, Mississippi. From a musical family, he was exposed to many different styles of music. He said, " My father is known for his singing. My brother and sister are musicians too, so I was surrounded by music. My brother also plays the saxophone. I guess that is what motivated me to want to play it, too."
His stay in Mississippi, was cut short when his family moved to Miami, FL. In his earlier days, he admits to not being very disciplined when it came to practicing. He was initially attracted to hip-hop, funk and r&b. He said, "I didn't practice the saxophone all that much. I spent time making tracks. We had these little rap groups at school and I wanted to be the producer. At the same time, my brother was introducing me to jazz music. He had Charlie Parker, Clifford Brown, Thelonious Monk and John Coltrane. Around that time, hip-hop was borrowing a lot of samples from jazz. Once I heard where those samples came from, I
was blown away."
In high school, Reeves spent much of his time studying music. One of his teachers quickly recognized Reeves' innate ability and introduced him to trumpeter Melton Mustafa, a former member of the Count Basie and Thad Jones orchestras. Mustafa held a jazz theory class at a cultural arts center on Saturdays. "He was tough. When the sessions were over, I always came out with a headache. But it paid
off," said Reeves.
After graduating from high school, Reeves decided to return back to his roots. He received a full music scholarship to attend Jackson State University. He said, " Jackson was interesting. Because it being extremely laid back, I had a lot of time to deal with music. So I spent a lot of my time in the record stores there, ordering all these obscure jazz records. I also hooked up with a lot of local musicians." Some of those locals were the legendary bassist London Branch and drummer Alvin Fielder. "They taught me a lot about the history and meaning behind jazz music," said Reeves. He also studied with the late film composer Dee Barton, who taught him concepts of arranging and harmony.
Through a visit to his alma mater, drummer Lumark Gulley met Reeves and they began working together doing gigs in Jackson, MS and Baton Rouge, LA. Shortly after, Reeves produced his first independent CD, Viewpoints. He said, "There were a few people who were actually against me doing my own CD. They didn't support the idea. I said 'forget that.' I didn't care because there wasn't much going on in Jackson. I wanted to finish school, so I figured if I couldn't be in a place where there was a good scene, then I would bring the musicians to me and do my own thing."
After graduating from JSU, Reeves went on to complete his Master's degree from the University of New Orleans. In New Orleans, he has been developing a reputation as a fierce alto saxophonist. He has been spotted performing alongside several great jazz musicians such as Wessell Anderson, Jason Marsalis, Delfeayo Marsalis, Roland Guerin, Jesse Davis, Nicholas Payton, Henry Butler, Rodney Whitaker and Roy Hargrove.
Reeves has released his second album, The Activator. Featured on the album are various musicians such as pianist Fredrick Sanders, who recently played a stint with the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra. Also, on the album is bassist Edwin Livingston, who is a member of the Grammy nominated Los Hombres Calientes Latin group. Drummer Lumark Gulley continues to be a member of Reeves' band. Gulley has completed his debut album, Printilla, on which Reeves also appears. Others include trumpeter Andrew Baham, tenor saxophonist Samir Zarif, bassist Nichlos Kypers and pianist Andy Bourgeios. The CD has been recently been featured by JazzSouth, a radio program by the Southern Arts Federation.
Personnel:
Darryl Reeves - alto saxophone, Andrew Baham - trumpet, Samir Zarif - tenor saxophone, Andy Bourgeois - piano & fender rhodes, Fredrick Sanders - piano & organ, Nicholas Kypers - bass, Edwin Livingston - bass & Lumark Gulley - drums