Jimmy Reid

Jazz/new adult contemporary saxophonist Jimmy Reid — not to be confused with the '50s blues singer/guitarist — first splashed onto the radio airwaves with a cover of "My Heart Will Go On (Love Theme From Titanic)" from his Sire/Discovery debut album Forever Loved. There's also a sweet, softly percolating version of the Gap Band's "Yearnin' for Your Love" and an inspiring cover of Louis Armstrong's "Wonderful World." The CD is a culmination of a long-standing dream of Reid's, inspired by his admiration of top sax players Kirk Whalum, Dave Koz, and Gerald Albright. The album boasts the impressive lineup of Whalum; guitarists Paul Jackson, Jr. and Michael Thompson, Jr.; drummers Ricky Lawson and John Robinson; percussionist Paulinho Da Costa; keyboardist Robbie Buchanan; bassist Neil Stubenhaus; and singer Philip Ingram on the ballad "I'll Do It for Love." Born in Chicago in 1977, Reid's family tree is filled with actors and musicians. He began playing drums at six and picked up the sax at age ten. Since then, he's taken a few months worth of private jazz and classical lessons and was chosen for the Grammy Midwest All Star Jazz ensemble. Reid won several awards, including the Louis Armstrong jazz award and a couple of Outstanding Musician Awards from both Coca Cola and the International Association of Jazz Educators (IAJE). Reid's drive, dedication, and ability led him during his high school days to send an unsolicited audition tape to Comiskey Park in the hopes of perfuming the national anthem before a Chicago White Sox baseball game. The spunky teenager got the job and did so well that he was invited back the following year. In 1994, Reid moved to California to attend the University of Southern California. He performed solos in numerous university ensembles sharing the stage with Quincy Jones and one of his musical idols, David Foster. On some days, Reid would take a city bus to downtown Los Angeles where he would play his sax for passing pedestrians. Becoming a popular sidewalk player, Reid earned enough cash to buy a car and was able to move his act to the tonier Third Street Promenade in Santa Monica. While fronting a band at a local synagogue, the struggling young sax player was befriended by a family who offered him a temporary place to stay and introduced him to smooth jazz guru Cliff Gorov of CGR Productions. Reid was anxious for Gorov to hear some of his songs but had no recent tapes of his performances. Not having easy access to a recording studio, Reid borrowed his hosting family's karaoke machine. Using the machine's rhythm track, he recorded himself playing sax in the acoustically hospitable foyer of their home. Gaining an audition with Gorov, he played the tapes and Gorov encouraged him to compose and record some additional songs and to bring them back for his consideration. Many of Forever Loved's best tunes were written between meetings with Gorov. Soon afterwards, Reid signed a contract with Discovery Records, which joined the Sire Records family. In the interim, he has played with grade-A talents Rick Braun, Louis Bellson, Howard Hewett, and Jon B. ~ Ed Hogan