Album Notes

Reed Gratz
Keyboardist, Composer, Teacher

This album was written and recorded while living Below Sealevel, on Reed's houseboat in the middle of Amsterdam. It features hot keyboards playing funk, latin, jazz, while floating in the Bilderdijk canal!

Reed Gratz is a Professor of Music at the University of La Verne where he chaired the department for seventeen years. His background includes graduate degrees from New England Conservatory (MM, jazz composition) and University of Miami (DMA, composition). He has taught at Washington State University, University of Miami, University of Innsbruck, Utrecht Conservatory and Leiden University in the Netherlands, and is a visiting professor of music in American Studies at Claremont McKenna College. Reed is on the Advisory Board of the American Jazz Institute with Lee Konitz and Mort Sahl.

Reed was awarded a jazz composition grant by the NEA; a research grant in African-American music by the NEH; two Senior Fulbright Lectureships, one at the University of Innsbruck, the other, the Walt Whitman Distinguished Chair of American Culture Studies at Leiden University; and the Excellence in Teaching Award at the University of La Verne. Professor Gratz has received three Who’s Who Among American Teachers awards since 2002.

Reed Gratz has composed music for twelve plays and several films. Recently released CDs are Below Sealevel and Piano, View From the South, The Reed Gratz Band featuring Michael O’Neil, and a quartet album soon to be available by guitarist Joe Jewell. Reed has played with George Russell, John Patitucci, Barbara Morrison, Alex Acuña, and many others. His illustrious students have included Herb Alpert, Bruce Hornsby, Joe Bagg, Andrew Ford, Michael Bennett, and Sandra Schwartzhaupt. He toured the Netherlands with Willem Nijholt and Geri van der Klei, the Czech Republic with Konstantin Ruchadze, and performed in many parts of Europe, Russia, several African countries, and Malaysia.

Reed is currently editing his Music History and Appreciation textbook and writing a book of compositions with varying keys and grooves based on the Blues. Reed continues to play in the LA Jazz scene.