Red Ryder Entertainment

In the fall of 2007, Mike Reed established the project known as People, Places & Things, enlisting a superb line up including alto saxophonist Greg Ward, tenor saxophonist Tim Haldeman and bassist Jason Roebke. Reed's desire was to pay homage to the lesser known community that made up the Chicago jazz & blues scene from 1954-1960. The vibrant Chicago scene and jam session culture led way to the progressions and historical movements of the AACM and the explosion of Chicago as a creative music center that it is known for today.

On their debut recording, Proliferation (482 Music), the quartet sought not to present literal interpretations of music composed from the time period, but rather performances that reflect “adjustments to the feel of the modern city and sound.”

While the original focus was on investigating and reinventing some of the under-recorded, under-recognized aspects of Chicago jazz circa 1954-60, the second offering was about the development of a current day Chicago “jazz” group, aptly titled About Us (482 Music). In the process of becoming a working band, the project gained its' own language and compositional material. Similar to the debut record, About Us shows Reed's admiration for current day Chicago by inviting three important and influential members of the community to perform and interpret their own compositions with the quartet. Guests included saxophonist David Boykin, trombonist Jeb Bishop and guitarist Jeff Parker.

The third document, Stories and Negotiations, brought the project full circle, inviting principal players of 1950's Chicago into the fold. As Part of the Made In Chicago Jazz Series, Reed was commissioned to write new music and arrangements in an extended project to feature special guests; multi-instrumentalist Ira Sullivan (Art Blakey Jazz Messengers, Rahshaan Roland Kirk Quintet, Red Rodney Quintet) trombonist Julian Priester (John Coltrane Africa Brass, Max Roach, Sun Ra Arkestra) and trumpeter Art Hoyle (Sun Ra Arkestra, Lionel Hampton). What resulted was a concert of rave reviews as evidenced by the live recording of the performance. In collaboration with Greg Ward, the new compositions and arrangements featured guests as integral members of the project and displayed the vitality of new and older compositional styles through a wider lens of improvised music.

Reed has been part of the vibrant Chicago jazz and improvised music community since 1997. He has performed regularly with local luminaries such as Fred Anderson, David Boykin, Nicole Mitchell, Jeff Parker, Josh Abrams, Jim Baker, and Rob Mazurek, as well as Chicago Jazz legends Ira Sullivan, Julian Priester and Art Hoyle. As a performer he tours extensively in Europe and South America. While performing in a variety of projects locally, nationally and internationally, Reed also leads two widely acclaimed groups, Loose Assembly and People, Places & Things. Reed was named Chicagoan of the Year for Jazz (2008) by the Chicago Tribune, and in the 57th annual Downbeat critics poll was distinguished as "Rising Jazz Star". (People, Places & Things also named as "Rising Jazz Group".)

Over the course of a decade Reed has also established himself as a leading producer of musical performances, and advocate for the performing arts. He is one of the main organizers for Umbrella Music, a five member team presenting weekly Jazz and Improvised music at various Chicago venues (approximating 280 sets of music per year as well as an accompanying festival). As a fresh addition to the historical collective known as the AACM, Reed was named Vice Chairmen in the spring of 2009. In other areas Reed works with the City of Chicago as a member of the Chicago Jazz Festival planning committee, and as programming partner for the Downtown Sound series at Millennium Park. Most notably, Reed is the Director of the internationally renowned Pitchfork Music Festival, drawing over 50,000 attendees to Chicago over 3 days and featuring today's most cutting edge rock and pop artists.

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Rising Jazz Group 2009
- Downbeat Critics Poll

“The Chicago band People, Places & Things, led by the drummer Mike Reed, has dedicated itself to Chicago post-bop, as repertory and inspiration for its excellent third record, “Stories and Negotiations” (482 Music)...Greg Ward, whose long and searching alto saxophone solo in “Third Option” is one of the best things I've heard on record this year.”
- Ben Ratliff, The New York Times

“Conceived by one of Chicago's most promising young musicians, the evening merged two generations of instrumentalists to often stunning effect. At the core of the music-making was Chicago drummer Mike Reed's innovative People, Places and Things band. Each of its players thrives at the razor's edge of the Chicago jazz avant-garde, and each commands a following of his own.”
- Chicago Tribune, Howard Reich

“Over the past year the quartet People, Places & Things, led by drummer Mike Reed, has grown into the most electrifying jazz band in town.”
- The Chicago Reader, Peter Margasak

“Reed is a genius right?...The sound is contemporary. The difference between Reed's works and that of jazz preservationists who simply mimic what was done back in the day, is astonishing.”
- Chicago Tribune, Kevin Williams

“The group has done its' homework by learning the idioms and ideas... they've worked to reconcile what they've learned with their knowledge of contemporary ways. These ensembles don't simply re-create; they create."
- DownBeat, Bill Meyer

Mike Reed's People, Places & Things