Steve Reid American jazz player, drummer Date of Birth: 29.01.1944 Country: USA

Steve Reid: Biography of an American Jazz Drummer

Steve Reid was an American jazz drummer who played with a number of renowned musicians, including Miles Davis, Ornette Coleman, James Brown, and others. He also collaborated periodically with the group 'Motown'. Reid began playing drums at the age of sixteen when his family moved to Queens, New York, just three blocks away from John Coltrane. The early 1960s were a peak period for both Coltrane and the entire New York jazz scene. Before attending college, Steve worked as a musician at the Apollo Theater under the direction of Quincy Jones.

Steve received his higher education at Adelphi University in Garden City, New York. After completing his studies, Reid returned to music and quickly began collaborating with legends of jazz and other genres of "black" music, such as James Brown, Sun Ra, Ornette Coleman, and Miles Davis. His first recording was made with the group 'Martha and the Vandellas' as part of a musical project initiated by Quincy Jones at the Apollo Theater when Reid was only sixteen years old.

In 1969, Reid was arrested for evading military service, later admitting that he simply did not want to have anything to do with the Vietnam War. In the early 1970s, Steve launched his own record label, 'Mustevic Sound Inc'. He spent several years living in Europe, particularly in Lugano, Switzerland, during which time he released several albums mostly under London and German labels.

In his later projects, Reid assembled his own ensemble, including saxophonist Chuck Henderson, pianist Boris Netsvetaev, and bassist Chris Lakotta. In 2006, Reid collaborated with renowned electronic musician Kieran Hebden on the experimental project 'The Exchange Session Vol. 1'. Both musicians enjoyed working together so much that they released three more albums - 'The Exchange Session Vol. 2', 'Tongues', and 'NYC'.

In an interview, Reid admitted that he found his "musical soulmate" in Hebden. Unfortunately, their collaboration was cut short by external circumstances. On April 13, 2010, Steve Reid passed away in New York City due to throat cancer. Throughout his career, Reid recorded one album as an assistant ('Tutu' by Miles Davis) and thirteen albums as a full-fledged performer.