Groovewise by Eric Scott Reed

"The whole CD is full of inspired solos and writing...a terrific record."
-- Tony Hall, Jazzwise

"Smoke made a smart decision to launch its own record label and Reed’s CD will likely be considered one of its most treasured releases."
-- Ken Dryden, The New York City Jazz Record

"Reed pays tribute to “the cats”, referencing Mulgrew Miller on ‘The Gentle Giant’ and Marian McPartland on ‘Una Mujer Elegante.'...The modern mainstream piano tradition that used to be best exemplified by John Hicks and Mulgrew Miller is in very safe hands."
-- Stephen Graham, Marlbank

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GROOVEWISE, pianist and composer Eric Reed's Smoke Sessions debut, features an outstanding quartet with saxophonist Seamus Blake, bassist Ben Williams, and drummer Gregory Hutchinson live at Smoke Jazz Club in 2013. It was the first recorded meeting of Reed and Hutchinson in over 15 years and actually the first recording made for the new Smoke Sessions label. Reunited for an auspicious occasion, Reed and Hutchinson's performances are inspired by the live audience, and their creative energy, augmented by Blake and Williams, flies off the bandstand.

The quartet opens with an impromptu rendition of “Powerful Paul Robeson” for Clifford Jordan, whose wife, Sandy, who, by chance, was in the audience that night, and they close the set with the extended title track “Groovewise.” In between is a thrilling set of live straight-ahead jazz. Several of the compositions are dedicated to the memories of lost piano luminaries and Reed heroes: Mulgrew Miller, Cedar Walton, and Marian McPartland. His new composition, “Until the Last Cat Has Swung,” is a testament to the idea that even with so many greats lost, jazz remains alive and well in the hands of a new generation. The music is already in great hands with Eric Reed.

For more than three decades, pianist Eric Scott Reed has been one of the most influential and beloved jazz musicians. He has recorded close to 30 albums as a leader showcasing his virtuosic chops, intellectual clarity, unwavering will to swing, and ability to refract and coalesce a wide range of musical, spiritual, and personal influences into a single stream of consciousness.

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