Ed Reed
Love Stories
© 2007 Ed Reed (700261207520)
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Warm, intimate, elegant, inventive, and swinging - sings a great story.
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"A brilliant, idiosyncratic song stylist who turns each piece into an emotionally taut tale."
-Andrew Gilbert, San Jose Mercury News
"Where have you been hiding, Ed Reed? The entire jazz world needs to hear you!"
-Sheila Jordan
This project – my first recording, has been a long time coming. Growing up in Watts in the 30s and 40s provided a rare musical learning environment. I was in high school talent shows with “Little Esther” Phillips and Bobby Nunn of the Coasters. I learned to sing chord changes from the man who would become jazz master Charles Mingus while he was minding his sister’s kids across the street from my house. I left high school before graduation – alienated by teachers who wanted me to go to shoe shop when I wanted to study debate – and joined the Army where I became addicted to heroin.
I served four stints in San Quentin and Folsom prisons on drug-related charges. Thanks to my love of jazz I was able to survive those ordeals. In two of my incarcerations, I was a featured singer in the warden’s show performing with an inmate big band and Art Pepper soloing on all of my tunes. When I wasn’t doing time, I did many “open mikes” with jazz greats like Wardell Gray, Art Farmer, Hampton Hawes, Dexter Gordon, and others.
I learned “A Sleepin’ Bee” – the lead song on this recording – during one of my stints in prison. Every week we were given one-half hour to listen to jazz on the radio. We jazz lovers were really hungry for new music and the radio was our only access to it. So, we developed a process to collectively learn new tunes. Whenever we heard something unfamiliar that we liked, each of us – often up to 20 of us – learned as much of the tune as possible. The next day we would meet in the yard with a guitarist and painstakingly attempt to put the fragments of melody, chords, and lyrics together. Sometimes it took several months to recreate a single tune. When we heard Bill Henderson sing “A Sleepin’ Bee,” it became one of our favorites and we learned it quickly. I’ve loved the tune ever since, and sing it every chance I get.
In 1986, after 40 years of drug addiction, I finally got into a program of drug and alcohol recovery, which allowed me to do the “day job” I love – program planning and development, training, and creating a successful lecture series on the art and practice of living well. And now I’ve had the privilege to make this recording with a remarkable ensemble of New York and Bay Area musicians. Life has been good to me!
We think this record is pretty special. The songs are some of the most beautiful I have ever known. Most of them have haunted me since I first heard them many years ago. I am so pleased to be able to share my rendition of these wonderful tunes with you. I hope you enjoy listening to them as much as I do singing them.
reviews
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Very Appealing
author: Nancy BarellI will definitely give Ed Reed air play on my program "Jazz Spotlight On Sinatra" www.live 365.com/stations/nancyann3839. He is a great interpreter of the standards. I can listen to his entire album and not be bored and that is saying a lot.
President, Canton Associates
author: Dr. Marcia E. CantonEd Reed is an annointed brother who has been in hiding too long!! Thank God he had the opportunity to share his gift with others!! His entire story is motivational to anyone who doubts his success. Thank you Ed!! I have just become your Number 1 fan!!!
ED Reed Love Stories
author: MerrieI just attended Ed's CD Release performance at Yoshi's, and was completely captivated by this one-of-a-kind jazz singer. My son purchased the CD for my birthday. What a true gift his voice is!
An amazing debut CD!
author: WGWhat an amazing debut CD! I've heard Ed Reed sing many of these tunes live and this recording captures all the warmth and bitter-sweetness this jazz singer carries in his heart. A real gem, that is not to be missed.
- author: PK
Anyone who loves jazz singers should not miss this one...
There's a lifetime of music in this album
author: Jake in SFThis album deserves to be compared with the work of great male jazz vocalists like Bill Henderson and Joe Williams. The songs may be familiar, but Mr. Reed gives each a fresh and personal expression. There's real warmth in his voice, and a depth of understanding and humanity in his singing that reflects a lifetime of experience with this music. This album is easy to listen to casually, and very rewarding to listen to closely.
A potent mixture of great influences makes for a REAL knockout!
author: Paul MikosTake a little Billy Eckstine, a dash of Joe Williams, a heaping helping of Etta Jones and Carmen McRae, blend them with a selection of great tunes and you have a potent mixture which creates an outstanding individual sound. Ed Reed is fantastic!
WILL TRANSPORT YOU
author: GrangerEd doesn't need to fake the blues, or synthesize texture. Despite, and because of, the "stuff" he's gone through, his voice and his singing with amazing phrasing, tell a powerful story of wonderful human experience. His Love Stories will absolutely take you away to a magical place in your soul that is as real as Ed's delightful voice, soaring euphorically one moment, only to swoop sweetly the next. In this case, this is not a cliché to any jazz lover: Ed's performances on this disk have to be heard to be believed!
- author: Scott Merrell
An honest to God, genuine jazz singer. Ed Reed is the real deal. It won't be long before the jazz world discovers his amazing talent.
One of the greatuyndiscovered jazz singers.
author: Richard Rodney BennettThe moment I heard this voice I knew he was one of the great undiscovered jazz singers. Now I have the CD and I play it all the time. I hope it leads to many good things for Ed. A lovely fresh, imaginative singer with great taste and jazz chops.