Mike Reed Illuminates 30 Years of Influential Chicago Jazz

WDCB’s Gary Zidek talks to musician, composer & music programmer Mike Reed about his new book, THE CITY WAS YELLOW: CHICAGO JAZZ AND IMPROVISED MUSIC 1980 - 2010.

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WDCB's Gary Zidek talks to percussionist and music programmer Mike Reed about the book he put together, THE CITY WAS YELLOW: CHICAGO JAZZ AND IMPROVISED MUSIC.

“What if I could collect some of these tunes so that we could start sharing them again and remember something that I think we all get into music for, it’s because we’re fans, because we love something and want to share it with someone.” - Mike Reed talking about the idea to create something akin to a Chicago “real book”.

Mike Reed

Percussionist, composer and music programmer extraordinaire Mike Reed was inspired by “real” & “fake” books in New Orleans and Amsterdam to create something similar for Chicago’s music community. Reed, along with some other talented people, began working a list of Chicago-born compositions made between 1980 and 2010. And THE CITY WAS YELLOW was born.

The book puts a spotlight on 53 Chicago-born compositions. But Reed says the list isn’t meant to be comprehensive, he hopes THE CITY WAS YELLOW sparks debate and additional conversation about music. Proceeds from sales of the book will go to the Jazz Institute of Chicago’s education programs.

Reed will lead an all-star ensemble of Chicago musicians, featured in THE CITY WAS YELLOW, through a special Jazz Institute of Chicago 50th anniversary celebration performance on Thursday August 29. The band will include Rob Mazurek on cornet, Nicole Mitchell on flute, Ari Brown and Geof Bradfield on saxophone, Steve Berry on trombone, Jeff Parker on guitar and Matt Ulery on bass. You can find more information about the performance here.

Head over to thecitywasyellow.com for more information on the book.