Clyde Reed (Double Bass)
Clyde Reed is a frequent musical collaborator with Kate on her poetry readings.
Clyde is a creative music bass stalwart of the Vancouver B.C. scene and (until recently retiring) an economics professor at Simon Fraser University . He is one of the founders of the NOW Orchestra and has performed with Barry Guy, Leo Smith, George Lewis, Bobby Bradford, Rob Blakeslee, Vinny Golia, Peter Brotzmann and many leading Canadian musicians. He is regularly invited to international jazz festivals and has performed at the Vancouver Jazz Festival, Toronto Jazz Festival, Ottawa Jazz Festival, Chicago Jazz Festival, Penofin Jazz Festival (California), Bumber Shoot Festival (Seattle), Earshot Jazz Festival (Seattle), Berlin Jazz Festival and the Lisbon Jazz Festival.
Clyde’s early musical training was in classical piano. In 6th grade he began a jazz drumming phase that continued through high school. Throughout that time he performed in coffee houses in Portland, Oregon. Motivated in part by the angst of graduate school in Economics, he returned to piano in university, studying jazz piano and theory with Jerry Gray at Cornish College of the Arts in Seattle . His bass studies began around 1970 with classical teachers who included Ron Simon (Seattle Symphony), Milan Hurt (Vancouver Symphony) and Peter Rofe (San Diego Symphony, currently with Los Angeles Philharmonic).
He has had master classes with jazz greats Ray Brown, Charlie Haden, Gary Peacock, and Dave Holland and has long-term musical relationships with Bobby Bradford, Rob Blakeslee, Jared Burrows, Coat Cooke, Bruce Freedman, Vinny Golia, Rich Halley, George Lewis, Paul Plimley, Claude Ranger, Dylan van der Schyffe, Gregg Simpson, Stan Taylor, among others.
He has worked in cross-disciplinary collaboration with poets Kate Braid , Gerry Gilbert, Laura Winters, Robert Creeley and Jamie Lamb, and with EDAM dance company.
You can listen to some of Kate’s collaborations with Clyde on this web site, at the links below.
- Kate and Clyde at the Vancouver Writers Festival, 2009
- “Spy” from Turning Left to the Ladies
- “Nails” from Turning Left to the Ladies
- “I Used to Drink” from Turning Left to the Ladies
- “These Hands” from A Well-Mannered Storm: The Glenn Gould Poems
- “36 (In the desert)” from Inward to the Bones: Georgia O’Keeffe’s Journey with Emily Carr
Clyde Reed, Partial Discography
1975, “Pacific Rim, Sunship Ensemble ( Canada ) / Electric Ninja ( Japan )”, C.B.C.Transcription Records (vinyl)
1989, Lunar Adventures, “The Future Is N.O.W”, (N.O.W. Anthology) Nine Winds; Paul Plimley Trio, “Swinging Planets”, New Orchestra Records
1990, Lunar Adventures, “Alive in Seattle”, Nine Winds
1994, Barry Guy and the NOW Orchestra, “Study – Witch Gong Game II/10”, Maya Recordings
1995, Rene Lussier and the NOW Orchestra, “Le tour du block”, Victo
1999, Now Orchestra, “Wowow”, Spool
2000, George Lewis/NOW Orchestra, “The Shadowgraph Series”, Spool; Rob Blakeslee Quartet, “ Waterloo Ice House”, Louie Records
2001, Bruce Freedman Trio, “Enormous Moments”, Independent CD Release; Rob Blakeslee Quartet, “Last Minute Gifts”, Louie Records; Rich Halley Trio, “Coyotes in the City”, Louie Records
2002, Rich Halley Trio, “Objects”, Louie Records
2003, Rich Halley Quartet featuring Bobby Bradford, “The Blue Rims”, Louie Records
2004, “Sunship Jazz Ensemble, 1974-75”, Blue Minor Records, (Double CD)
2005, Marilyn Crispell and the NOW Orchestra, “Pola”, Victo; Rich Halley Trio, “Mountains and Plains”, Louie Records
2007, Ion Zoo, “Set Free at the Cellar”, Cellar Live
2008, Coat Cooke Trio, “Up Down Down Up”, Cellar Live
2009, The NOW Orchestra, “Animal Tales”, Cellar Live; Ion Zoo, “Venus Looks Good”, Open Form Audio; Viviane Houle, “Treize”, Drip Audio
2010, Rich Halley Quartet featuring Bobby Bradford, “Live at the Penofin Jazz Festival”, Pine Eagle; “West Coast Art Trio” (Bruce Feedman, Clyde Reed, Stan Taylor), Independent CD Release