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THE PLAYERS:
Tom Reese, flute & composition.
A captivating performer, Tom’s strength’s are in his warm sound & driving
melodic lines. Called "multi-lingual," his versatility knows no bounds. From
composition to folk music, to jazz & blues, classical, even rock’n’roll, this
eclectic musician combines elements from all musical genres to create his unique
sound. Tom is an innovator, whether in composition, education, or performance.
Tom has won awards for composition & education, including three recent NEA
awards for his work as Music Director for the YouTheatre program at the Fulton
Opera House in Lancaster, PA. Tom's compositions are known for their beautiful
melodies, innovative instrumentation & modern harmonies. His CD, "Blue Etude,"
was in the top 20 of the 2002 Grammies, and his classical compositions are
featured on "Conversations," which won an award for Best Instrumental Album in
the 2002 Just Plain Folks Awards, the largest independent music awards. He was
involved with the Arts Infusion program piloted at Price Elementary, which
helped to raise the school from #17 in the county to #1. Tom has taught
composition for "Summerstage for Youth" at the Fulton Opera House, & York’s "Day
at the Strand," among many other residencies, workshops, and performances. His
bands have opened for Bela Fleck, Gaelic Storm, Grey Eye Glances & more, & he
has performed with Valery Ponomarev & Nick Brignola. He also performs with
MuZette, Susquehanna,
&
Wyndfall.
Bobby
Brewer, guitar, recently moved from Nashville to south-central Pennsylvania
to join The Reese Project full-time. In Nashville, he was active on the local
scene with his own bands and freelance work. While living in Los Angeles,
Boston, & Oklahoma, Bob taught at the college level, performed with pops
orchestras, gave guitar clinics, and led his own bands, as well as going on the
road with numerous bands. He worked at Fullhouse Recorders in
Whitehouse, TN, where he produced and wrote full-time. He has released several CD's, one simply called "Bobby
Brewer," several releases with The Skeltones, & recent cyber-space
recordings with the Funkdawgs, which
recently won an award. He is on numerous recordings with other jazz artists. He
has also played on numerous country demo recordings. Bobby has played guitar
with Stanley Clarke, Petula Clark, Norm Crosby, Larry Gatlin, Les Brown, Phil
Harris, Jerry Lewis, Jerry Reed, Chita Rivera, Doug Forman (formerly of the band
"The Fools"), Bobby Rydell, Jeanne C. Riley, Rufus Thomas & Earl Day and "Majic.
He has performed for the Oklahoma City Symphony "Pops," the Longy School of
Music's jazz band, & the Marcel Dance Company.
Laurie Haines Reese, cello. Trained
in both classical music & jazz, Laurie loves the variety in playing all types of
music on the cello. She earned a master of music performance degree from USC in
Los Angeles & a bachelor's from the University of Miami in Florida. She worked
with Ira Sullivan & Strings Attached while in Miami. She was featured at the New
Directions in Cello Festival, and participated in the Spoleto Festival &
Congress of Strings. A member of numerous symphony orchestras, she was a
concerto soloist with the Maui Symphony. She free-lanced in Los Angeles, Miami,
Seattle, Hawaii, New York and Europe, working with Henry Mancini, Melissa
Manchester, BJ Thomas, Gloria Estefan, & Chuck Mangione. Laurie started
recording at age 16, and is on many recordings, including Jon Anderson (of
Yes)’s Christmas album. She teaches at the Lancaster Conservatory of Music, at
Beam’s Music (Ephrata, PA) & at her private studio in Mount Joy, formerly
teaching at the college level. In addition to The Reese Project, she performs
with MuZette, Susquehanna & Wyndfall.
Aaron Walker,
drums. A busy & versatile drummer, Aaron is currently involved with
several projects in addition to performing with The Reese Project. He works with
Plan B (rock), Aaron Walker Trio (jazz), Ralph P Group (jazz), Mystery Jazz Trio
(jazz) & was co-leader of OCD Circus, an original music collaboration. He has
recorded and/or toured with Defender (classic & original rock), Plywood Jungle
(alternative rock), Burning Bus (world beat/eclectic originals), Tom Larsen Band
(blues rock & funk), Robert Gordon (rockabilly/country), Simply D (rock and
pop), Doogie Hill Project (jazz), DC & Company (R&B, rock, blues), Charlie
Gracie (50's icon & rockabilly legend), and Animation (progressive rock). He has
opened for national & international acts including Sting, Dave Matthews Band,
Live, Natalie Merchant, Fabulous Thunderbirds, Dave Mason, Johnny Lang, Mark
Farner, Poi Dog Pondering, Kix, Brave Combo, Huffamoose, & the Healing Sixes.
Aaron is also a drum instructor & clinician.
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(click
to enlarge photo)
Additional Members of The Reese Project:
Christopher Bakriges, Ph.D., pianist and composer. A
Detroit native, Bakriges has lead his own groups since the early 80s.His first
ensemble in Detroit included the noted rhythm section of Tani Tabbal and Jaribu
Shahid. He has performed internationally since 1990, including tours in India,
Pakistan, Turkey, England, France, Canada, and the Czech Repu blic. In the early
90’s he was invited to become music director of "Jazzfest" on Northeast Public
Radio after its station director heard his ensemble, Critical Theory, in concert
with Bobby McFerrin and David Darling. Broadcast monthly from the WAMC-FM
Studios in Albany, New York, "Jazzfest" became the only live jazz radio program
being aired at that time in the United States. Besides performing his
compositions, Bakriges was able to accompany many acclaimed artists such as
Kenny Burrell, Bernard Purdie, Lee Shaw, and Pat Metheny’s original rhythm
section of Danny Gottleib and Mark Egan. Bakriges has been music director and
pianist at the Mo' Jazz Cafe, Vermont's only jazz club, since the late 90's.
Besides his regular engagements with the trio, Bakriges has performed and
recorded with the likes of saxophonist Salim Washington, Italian trumpeter Cicci
Santucci and bassist Mauro Battisti, Swedish 9-string guitarist Jonny Johansson,
Hungarian jazz diva Agnes Zsigmondi, and India's Jazz Manglam, featuring master
percussionist Sivamani.
A published scholar, Bakriges earned his doctorate in ethnomusicology from
York University in Toronto and regularly lecturers around the world. His
background in world music as well as his own Greek cultural heritage lends a
decidedly Mediterranean flavor to his work. His singular approach to composition
and performance have been influenced from study with artists who embrace the
entire scope of African American and jazz history, including Jaki Bayard, Nadi
Qamar, Harold Danko, Billy Taylor, Frederick Simmons, and Anthony Braxton.
Bakriges has also worked with Indian classical masters Pandit Sushil Mukherjee
and Tanjore Vishwanathan as well as with Indonesian gamelan composer Sumarsam.
Kirk Reese, piano.
Kirk teaches jazz improvisation at Messiah College. He attended Elizabethtown
College and studied piano, music theory and composition privately with Ron
Thomas in Philadelphia where he also studied jazz theory with Steve Giordano and
Cedar Walton. He is a clinician for many venues, including improvisation
workshops at Penn State University and Susquehanna High School. Kirk has given
concerts with alto saxophonist Phil Woods, trumpeter Marvin Stamm, Russian
trumpeter Valerie Ponomarev, Tim Warfield (former Cosby Show saxophonist), Ralph
Moore, Billy Higgins, and recording artist Michele Benson. His bands opened for
Bela Fleck & the Flecktones, BB King, Joe Morello (Dave Brubeck), Bob
Mintzer (Yellow Jackets), and others. He maintains a private teaching schedule
at Elizabethtown College & in York, PA.
Jake
Thro, keyboards.
Jake has
been playing the piano for fourteen years, studying classical and jazz.
He is/was in a variety of jazz and rock bands - including Paperface,
Shadowcaster, and John Terlazzo and Voices in the Hall - playing
keyboards, guitar, bass and cello. Jake has been the pianist for the
Fulton Opera House Youtheatre Program for 6 years, as well as co-musical
director with Tom Reese for the past two years. In his spare time he
writes and records his own music, combining experimental rock with jazz,
classical, and electronic music. He also works as a recording engineer,
with experience recording rock and jazz bands, classical soloists and
ensembles, and demo/audition recordings. He is currently completing his
music degree at Shenandoah University, majoring in recording technology
and studying cello and jazz piano. |
Tom Mumma,
In his final year of study at Millersville
University, Tom is a candidate for a degree in Music Education with a
concentration in saxophone performance. He’s traveled to numerous countries
for both instrumental and vocal performances including France, Austria, Germany,
Switzerland, Belgium, Italy, and Canada. Tom is the recipient of the Louis Vyner
Performance Award. This award is given to a music major who maintains a 3.0
grade point average and successfully completes an audition. Other
responsibilities at the University include Student Director of the Jazz Bands
and President of the Millersville Marching Unit. Aside from his work at the
University, Tom also holds two positions at the Fulton Opera House: Music
Director of the Youtheatre Program (6 years) and Program Director/Co-Founder of
the Fulton Opera House Summer Jazz Lab. Tom would like to thank his family and
friends for their understanding and support. The newest addition
to The Reese Project, we are excited to have him!
Chris Loser, drums.
Chris is a talented young
drummer. He studied with Jeff Stabley in York, PA. He has played professionally
for eight years and has taught in the York, PA area for seven years. He has
recorded two CD's with his trio, Trifecta, which features Steve Fieldhouse on
tenor sax & Colin Kenniff on bass. He has also performed with Tim Warfield, Curt Sipe, Steve Meashey, Jay Umble, and the Young
Sounds Big Band, among others. Among his skills are teaching marching band &
private lessons. His influences include Elvin Jones, Jeff ‘Tain’
Watts, Michael Brecker, Branford Marsalis, and Miles Davis.
Dave
Lewis, organ. Dave Lewis is a versatile musician, fluent in all styles
of music, especially jazz and blues, on piano and organ. He trained at Rowan and
Temple universities where he earned his Master’s degree. He has lead numerous
bands and conducted musical theatre throughout New Jersey. His recording credits
include “Blue Trio” and “Mighty River” with the Killer Blues Band, and “Flirting
with the Blues” with Chaz DePaolo. His major influences are organists Gene
Ludwig, Jimmy Smith, and Jimmy McGriff, and pianist Chick Corea. Dave Lewis is
very excited to join the Reese Project.
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