Tomeka Reid

Described as a "New Jazz Power Source" by the New York Times, cellist and composer TOMEKA REID has emerged as one of the most original, versatile, and curious musicians in Chicago's bustling jazz and improvised music community over the last decade. Her distinctive melodic sensibility, always rooted in a strong sense of groove, has been featured in many distinguished ensembles over the years.
Reid grew up outside of Washington D.C., but her musical career began after moving to Chicago in 2000. By focusing on developing her craft in countless improvisational contexts, Reid has achieved a stunning musical fluency. A 2022 MacArthur Fellow and Herb Alpert awardee and 2021 USA Fellow, Reid has received awards from the Foundation of the Arts (2019), 3Arts (2016) and received her doctorate in music from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign in 2017.
Reid released her debut recording as a bandleader in 2015, with the Tomeka Reid Quartet, a vibrant showcase for the cellist's improvisational acumen as well as her dynamic arrangements and compositional ability. The quartet's second album, Old New, released in Oct 2019 on Cuneiform Records, has been described as "fresh and transformative—its songs striking out in bold, lyrical directions with plenty of Reid's singularly elegant yet energetic and sharp-edged bow work." Another reviewer noted that "while Reid's compositional and technical gifts transcend jazz, they exemplify the tradition wondrously." Most recently, in April of 2024, Reid released what has been considered her most adventurous Quartet recording to date, the highly acclaimed 3+3.
Reid has been a key member of ensembles led by legendary reedists like Anthony Braxton (ZIM SEXTET) and Roscoe Mitchell (ROSCOE MITCHELL QUARTET, ART ENSEMBLE OF CHICAGO), as well as a younger generation of visionaries including flutist Nicole Mitchell (BLACK EARTH ENSEMBLE, ARTIFACTS), vocalist Dee Alexander (EVOLUTION ENSEMBLE), and drummer Mike Reed (LOOSE ASSEMBLY, LIVING BY LANTERNS, ARTIFACTS). In 2013, she launched the first Chicago Jazz String Summit, a semi-annual three-day international festival of cutting edge string players held in Chicago. From 2019 to 2021 Tomeka Reid received a teaching appointment at Mills College as the Darius Milhaud chair in composition. Tomeka Reid was a Visiting Roth Scholar at Dartmouth during the 2023-24 academic year and is excited to be back during the 2024-25 academic to teach two courses for the music department in the Winter and Spring terms.