The October Revolution of Jazz & Contemporary Music

Chicago cellist and composer Tomeka Reid has emerged as one of the most original, versatile, and curious musicians in the city’s bustling jazz and improvised music community. Carving a new and original path for the cello in jazz and improvised music, Reid’s combination of timbral finesse and fleet instincts has been featured in many distinguished ensembles over the years. She’s been a key member of ensembles led by legendary multi-reedists Anthony Braxton and Roscoe Mitchell, as well as a younger generation of visionaries including flutist Nicole Mitchell, singer Dee Alexander, and drummer Mike Reed. She’s also a founding member of the adventurous string trio Hear in Now. Her shape-shifting Quartet features Mary Halvorson, one of the most original guitarists of her generation; bassist Jason Roebke, an unorthodox bandleader who’s also served as the harmonic anchor for a veritable who’s who of Chicago bandleaders including Mike Reed, vibist Jason Adasiewicz, clarinetist James Falzone, and cellist Fred Lonberg-Holm; and Tomas Fujiwara, a nuanced and creative drummer who leads the bands Triple Double (with Gerald Cleaver, Halvorson, Brandon Seabrook, Ralph Alessi, and Taylor Ho Bynum), Tomas Fujiwara & The Hook Up (with Jonathan Finlayson, Brian Settles, Halvorson, and Michael Formanek) co-leads the collective trio Thumbscrew (with Halvorson and Formanek).