The Reese Project (TRP) plays lively music that rocks, pops & plays it cool; mesmerizing to watch with a funky, Monk-rocks out flavor like Bach having lunch with BB King. TRP includes something for every musical taste, from jazz, blues & funk to celtic & classical music. Mesmerizing to watch, this unique quartet combines flute, cello, guitar & drums. Gorgeous compositions weave elements from around the world into up-tempo, high energy music and haunting sounds that flow from calypso to waltz feels. They’re appealing to see & hear (listen for Tom’s trademark “Yeah!”) and have played to sold out venues & multiple standing ovations. The unique instrumentation of the group & their “outside of the box” approach has ciritics raving with their fresh approach. A “music see,” TRP will leave you wanting more & more “East Coast Cool.”

Tom Reese, flutes, plays highly-charged, soaring flute lines that carve new sounds out of traditional forms, infusing the music with quotes from rock to pop. Laurie Haines Reese, cello, adds a unique flavor to the band with the electric cello. Her shredding sound and acoustic bass lines compliment the creative edge in the original works as well as the standards. Bobby Brewer, guitar, sends the band stomping & growling into the aether. His bluesy vocal style brings a new element into the mix. Aaron Walker, drums, captures the motion in the rhythms and drives the sound.

With a nod to past masters, the original jazz created within this group of musicians steps in a new direction, while staying squarely within the boundaries of real jazz. It’s definitely music for fresh ears. Performing jeverything from jazz standards, funk, blues, rock covers, classical music & originals, The Reese Project includes something for everyone — from Bach to the Beatles. They have played to packed houses throughout the US & Canada (even in a major snow storm!).

Their influences include Miles, Coltrane, Bela Fleck, Edgar Meyer, Mark O’Connor, Yo Yo Ma, Modeski Martin & Wood, Duke Ellington, Thelonious Monk, David Grisman, Stephane Grapelli, Turtle Island & Kronos String Quartets, and classic rock bands.

Band members have worked with Les Brown, Petula Clark, Stanley Clarke, Norm Crosby, Jay Daversa, Gloria Estefan, Larry Gatlin, Robert Gordon, Charlie Grace, John Guerin, Phil Harris, Roger Kelloway, Tom Larsen, Jerry Lewis, Melissa Manchester, Henry Mancini, Chuck Mangione, Shelly Manne, Valery Pomoronov, Jerry Reed, Jeanne C. Riley, Chita Rivera, Bobby Rydell, Ira Sullivan, BJ Thomas, Rufus Thomas, & others.

“I caught three fabulous acts Sunday at the Lancaster Jazz Festival. The headliner, Kurt Elling, kept the listeners there, but for my tastes, the second act, The Reese Project, stole the show. This unique combination with a soloing cello playing bass lines, amazing soloist Tom Reese making the flute viable as a jazz instrument & soaring vocals by veteran vocalist Ron Smith proved that unique instrumentation equals great jazz” (Logan McKinney, “New Waves in Radio”).

Saturday, December 19, 2009

9 pm – 12 Midnight