Jimmy Reid

Jazz and new adult contemporary saxophonist Jimmy Reid, distinct from the blues singer and guitarist of the 1950s, first reached radio audiences through his rendition of “My Heart Will Go On (Love Theme From Titanic)” on the Sire/Discovery debut Forever Loved. The project also includes a gently bubbling treatment of the Gap Band’s “Yearnin’ for Your Love” and a stirring interpretation of Louis Armstrong’s “Wonderful World.” Realizing a long-held ambition shaped by his respect for Kirk Whalum, Dave Koz, and Gerald Albright, the album unites Whalum with 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 vocalist Philip Ingram on the ballad “I’ll Do It for Love.”

Born in Chicago in 1977 into a family of actors and musicians, Reid took up drums at age six and the saxophone at ten. After several months of private jazz and classical study, he earned a spot in the Grammy Midwest All Star Jazz ensemble and collected the Louis Armstrong Jazz Award along with Outstanding Musician Awards from Coca-Cola and the International Association of Jazz Educators. While still in high school, he mailed an uninvited audition tape to Comiskey Park and secured an invitation to perform the national anthem before a Chicago White Sox game; his performance earned a return engagement the following year.

In 1994 Reid relocated to California to enroll at the University of Southern California, where he appeared as a soloist in various university ensembles alongside Quincy Jones and his idol David Foster. On certain afternoons he rode a city bus downtown to play for passersby, eventually earning enough to purchase a car and relocate his performances to the Third Street Promenade in Santa Monica. While leading a band at a local synagogue, the young musician was befriended by a family who provided temporary lodging and arranged an introduction to smooth-jazz figure Cliff Gorov of CGR Productions. Eager to present new material yet lacking recent recordings, Reid borrowed the family’s karaoke machine and captured saxophone performances over its rhythm tracks in the resonant foyer of their home. The resulting audition prompted Gorov to urge him to write and record additional pieces; several of Forever Loved’s strongest tracks originated during the intervals between those meetings. Reid soon signed with Discovery Records, which had become part of the Sire family, and in the years that followed performed with Rick Braun, Louis Bellson, Howard Hewett, and Jon B.