Ray Reach

Raymond Everett Reach, Jr. (born August 3, 1948) is an American pianist, vocalist and educator residing in Birmingham, Alabama, now serving as Director of Student Jazz Programs for the Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame, director of the Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame All-Stars and President and CEO of Ray Reach Music and Magic City Music Productions. He is noted for his versatility and mastery of many diverse styles. In addition, he is an accomplished guitarist, arranger, composer, conductor and music producer. He has composed, arranged and performed in a variety of genre, and is well known for his work in Classical, Pop, R & B, Motown/Soul, Gospel, Rock, Classic Rock, Country (contemporary and traditional), Contemporary Christian and jazz music, but he is perhaps best known for his work in the jazz idiom, combining straight-ahead jazz piano stylings with Sinatra-style vocals. Like many male jazz vocalists, Reach's jazz repertoire centers on the classic popular standards and jazz standards of the Great American Songbook. However, he differs from many of his jazz vocal colleagues in that he does most of his own arrangements and accompanies himself on the piano.

Early years
Born in Birmingham, Alabama, Reach is the only child of Erma Elizabeth Hillman (a beautician) and Raymond Everett Reach, Sr. (a coal miner). He began piano lessons at age 6, studying with Giula Williams of E. E. Forbes and Sons Piano Company in Birmingham. Later, he studied piano with Carolyn Pfau and Hugh Thomas at the Birmingham Conservatory of Music. Reach attended Minor High School near Birmingham, Alabama, Birmingham-Southern College, the University of Montevallo and the University of Alabama, among others. At Birmingham-Southern, he studied voice with New York City Opera baritone Andrew Gainey, and studied piano with Sam Howard of the concert piano duo, Hodgens and Howard. At the University of Alabama (1977–1980), he served as graduate assistant to jazz educator Steve Sample, Sr, directing the award-winning Jazz Ensemble B, and playing piano in and arranging for Jazz Ensemble A. During his time at the University of Alabama, ASCAP presented Reach with the Raymond Hubbell Musical Scholarship, for his contributions to jazz and popular music in America.

Jazz and computer music education
Reach has been an active jazz educator since the early 1970s. While attending Birmingham-Southern College, he created a series of jazz workshops which were hosted by the music department. He has taught jazz courses and computer music (MIDI) courses and workshops at numerous colleges, including Cedar Valley College in Dallas, Texas, Birmingham-Southern College, the University of Montevallo, the University of Alabama, and the University of North Texas. In the late 1970s, Reach was chosen by jazz educator Steve Sample, Sr to be the first ever graduate teaching assistant in the jazz program at the University of Alabama. From 1998 to 2005, Reach was instructor of jazz and music technology at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) and director of the UAB Jazz Ensemble. He is currently (2005 to present) Director of Student Jazz Programs for the Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame (AJHoF), where he directs the Student All-Star Band. He has also served as a faculty member of the W. C. Handy Jazz Camp, and is a regular featured performer at the W. C. Handy Music Festival and a member of the W. C. Handy Jazz All-Stars. In addition, Reach directs the Fun With Jazz Educational Program, which was originated through the Alys Stephens Center for the Performing Arts, and is now offered through the Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame.



On April 21, 2013, Ray Reach received a resolution from the Alabama State House of Representatives commending him "...for his outstanding accomplishments..." and for his contributions to Music (and particularly Jazz)Education in Alabama. (See the photograph to the right.)

Reach has been involved with synthesizers (and later) computer-produced music since 1969, when he purchased his first Mini Moog. With the advent of MIDI, he worked in research and development for Systems Design Associates, Inc. of Dallas, Texas, makers of MIDI music software. Later, he co-founded the American MIDI Users Group (AMUG), which was based at the Dallas Infomart.

Notable students
As a jazz educator, Ray has taught a number of notable musicians, including: Kelley O'Neal (saxophonist); Beth Gottlieb (percussionist and wife of drummer Danny Gottlieb); Ned Holder (trombonist); Mark Lanter (drummer); Peter Wolf (producer); Chris Gordon (trumpeter / educator); Greg Chambers (saxophonist); Dave Miller(saxophonist); and Chuck Tilley (drummer), a member of the band Sixwire, which won 2nd place on Fox's American Idol spin-off, The Next Great American Band.

Recent alumni of Reach's UAB Jazz Ensemble include Birmingham Gospel pianist Arthur Beard, pianist / keyboardist Coleman Woodson and drummer Tim George of Just A Few Cats, the band which gave American Idol Ruben Studdard his entry into the Birmingham music scene. While Reach was director of the UAB Jazz Ensemble, Studdard often sat in on his rehearsals.



Performing, conducting, composing and arranging
Reach is a pianist, singer, guitarist, arranger and composer. His skills span numerous musical and stylistic genres, including classical, jazz, R & B, contemporary pop, gospel and country.



Jazz and pop
Reach is a member of several active performing and recording groups, including the Magic City Jazz Orchestra (of which he is the founding director), the Ray Reach Orchestra, the Night Flight Big Band and Cleveland Eaton and the Alabama Allstars. He leads his own group, Ray Reach and Friends, and is a former member of the SuperJazz Big Band (formerly UAB SuperJazz), which was the first performing musical ensemble connected with the UAB Department of Music. He has performed with and arranged for numerous notable jazz and pop musicians and ensembles, including Clark Terry, Dizzy Gillespie, Jack Sheldon, Mike Williams (lead trumpeter for the Count Basie Orchestra), Leonard Candelaria (classical trumpeter and educator), singer Al Jarreau, singer Natalie Cole, Lou Marini, Ellis Marsalis, Cleveland Eaton, Gary Burton, Chuck Redd, Mundell Lowe, Lloyd Wells, Bill Goodwin, Lew Soloff, Birch Johnson, Jonathan Butler, Jack Petersen, Galen Jeter's Dallas Jazz Orchestra, The Auburn Knights Orchestra, the Guy Lombardo Orchestra, the Lawrence Welk Orchestra, Ladies' Night Out, vocalist Kathy Kosins, the Temptations Review, featuring Dennis Edwards and Chaka Khan with the Lionel Hampton Orchestra. During his seven years as director of the UAB Jazz Ensemble (1998–2005), Reach wrote a large percentage of the music that the band played, including 147 big band arrangements and numerous others for vocal groups and jazz combos. His catalogue of arrangements and compositions numbers over a thousand pieces, including arrangements for solo jazz piano, jazz duo, trio, quartet, quintet, sextet, septet, octette, nonette and big band, as well as string quartet, choral ensembles and piano plus string quartet.

Festival appearances
Reach has appeared frequently at numerous music festivals, including the W. C. Handy Music Festival, the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, the Mobile Jazz Festival, the Taste of 4th Avenue Jazz Festival, Birmingham's City Stages festival, and the Denton Arts and Jazz Festival, to name a few.

Vocal and choral music
Reach has been a singer all his life, and has been an active choral conductor for more than 35 years. His first public performance was at age four, singing a spiritual song at his home church, Minor United Methodist, near Birmingham. His love for choral music began at Dixie Junior High School, where he sang in the choir under Tom Pinion, and later at Minor High School, under John Fowler. He began formal voice lessons at age 15 with Andrew Gainey at Birmingham-Southern College and later entered Birmingham-Southern as a voice major, planning to pursue a career as a professional singer. To this day, Ray refers to his singing, among the many musical skills he possesses, as the "best thing he does musically".

During his college undergraduate years, Ray began his choral directing career at Village Falls United Methodist Church. Following this, he was a paid singer at Fairview United Methodist Church, then later was choir director at Norwood United Methodist Church. Subsequently, he sang at First United Methodist Church of Birmingham (under Sam Owens and later under Hugh Thomas) and was baritone soloist and choir singer at Independent Presbyterian Church in Birmingham under choirmaster and organist Joseph Schreiber. He also sang in performances with Birmingham Civic Opera, and, while at Birmingham-Southern, sang lead roles in operas such as The Telephone, Amahl and the Night Visitors, The Barber of Seville, and The Marriage of Figaro. He has held numerous positions as Music Minister and singer at churches in Birmingam and Dallas, Texas, including Community Church (Dallas) (7 years), First Presbyterian Church of Dallas (3 years), Independent Presbyterian Church of Birmingham, Alabama, First Presbyterian Church of Bessemer, Alabama (2.5 years) and St. Francis Episcopal Church in Pelham, Alabama (7 years). He has written numerous choral arrangements and compositions and has produced two CD recordings for internationally known choral composer and conductor K. Lee Scott.

During his seven years at St. Francis Episcopal Church, Reach blended styles of music to create a unique worship music experience. He employed traditional hymns, classical music, praise and worship choruses, contemporary Christian songs, and sacred music by jazz composers such as Duke Ellington and Dave Brubeck. Special liturgical music presentations often featured renowned jazz artists, such as Lou Marini, Lew Soloff and Cleveland Eaton.

Reach has taught choral music in schools in Dallas, Texas and in the Birmingham, Alabama area. In the Birmingham area, he was choral director at Minor High School (1991–1993) and at Montevallo and Calera High Schools (1993–1994). His high school choral groups won "superior" ratings (the highest award) at every county and state choral competition in which they participated.

In 2000, Ray participated in the premiere performance of a jazz mass called "Requiem for the Millennium", by Gary Hallquist. The piece was commissioned by the New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, and was given its debut performance on Good Friday at St. Louis Cathedral in New Orleans. The piece was performed by a 200-voice choir, accompanied by the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra, and featured the Lou Marini Jazz Quartet, with Marini on woodwinds, Robert Dickson on bass, Steve Sample, Jr on drums and Reach on piano.

Reach has written arrangements for numerous choral ensembles, including the Dallas Symphony Chorus, the choirs of Shades Mountain Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama, the jazz vocal group Ladies' Night Out and the Hilltop Singers of Birmingham-Southern College. In the gospel and contemporary Christian music world, he has written arrangements for artists such as Jonathan Butler, The Clark Sisters, Anetta Nunn and the group Joylight, the resident ensemble at Community Church in Dallas, Texas. Reach contributed arrangements to Butler's 2007 CD and DVD, which was titled "Gospel Goes Classical", and rose to number 2 on the Billboard Gospel charts, and number 3 on the Classical Crossover charts nationally. The recording, produced by Henry Panion, featured Butler, along with Juanita Bynum, a 100+-voice gospel choir and full symphony orchestra, recorded at the Alys Stephens Center.

Orchestral
Reach has done arrangements and transcriptions for many classical artists and orchestras, including the Birmingham Metropolitan Orchestra (which featured members of the Alabama Symphony), the Gospel Goes Classical Orchestra, the Dallas Symphony, the Fort Worth Symphony, the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra, the Charleston Symphony and the Huntsville (Alabama) Symphony. Other ensembles and artists who have commissioned his arrangements include the Texas Saxophone Quartet, the Texas Baroque Ensemble, the Southern Methodist University Orchestra, and trumpeter Leonard Candelaria.

Musical theatre
For several consecutive years, Reach was commissioned to write arrangements for the annual Induction Gala of the Alabama Stage and Screen Hall of Fame. In this period of time, this hall of fame inducted people such as Truman Capote, Harper Lee, Hugh Martin, Dean Jones, George Lindsey, Fannie Flagg, and Talullah Bankhead. He has also arranged and music directed productions for Theatre Tuscaloosa, including And The World Goes 'Round and 1776. As a conductor, he has been musical director for numerous Broadway-style shows. For example, at Samford University he was musical director for Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (by Andrew Lloyd Webber), Into The Woods (by Stephen Sondheim) and the Southeastern premier of Children of Eden (by Stephen Schwartz).

As a composer, he has written and arranged five Broadway-style musicals for Birmingham Children's Theatre: Rumplestiltskin; The Perfect Prince; The Bravo Bus; Backstage Baby; and Tuxedo Junction.

In addition, Reach has written an opera entitled The Wooden Donkey, and numerous choral compositions.

Commercial jingle production
While living in Dallas, Texas (1983–1991), Reach wrote and produced commercial jingles and film and video scores, for clients such as United Airlines, Mercedes-Benz, and radio stations.



Influences
His compositions are greatly influenced by J. S. Bach, W. A. Mozart, Frederick Chopin, Aaron Copland, George Gershwin, Billy Strayhorn, Duke Ellington, Gil Evans, and Igor Stravinsky. His jazz piano and vocal stylings draw from diverse influences, including: pianists Bill Evans, Oscar Peterson and Chick Corea, and vocalists Frank Sinatra, Mel Tormé, Jon Hendricks, Tony Bennett, Nat King Cole, and Johnny Hartman. As to his arranging role models, Reach names Hugh Martin (from Birmingham, Alabama, an alumnus of Ray's alma mater Birmingham-Southern College), Johnny Mandel, Nelson Riddle, Gordon Jenkins, Henry Mancini, Sammy Nestico, Billy May, Steve Sample, Sr, Thad Jones and Gil Evans, among many others.

Music production
Reach is president of the Birmingham, Alabama-based music production company, Magic CIty Music Productions. He learned music production skills by working with and observing the producers he worked for over the years in various studios around the Southeast, including (in Birmingham) Sound of Birmingham, Boutwell Studios, Bates Brothers Recording, Audiostate 55 Recording Studio, Prestige Productions and PolyMusic Recording; in the Muscle Shoals, Alabama area: Quinvy Studios, FAME Studios; and in the Dallas, Texas area: Sound Logic Recording, Goodnight Audio, Sound Southwest, Crystal Clear Sound, T M Communications, Toby Arnold and Associates, Zimmersmith Productions, and Dallas Sound Lab. His association with highly skilled producers and engineers, such as Ed Boutwell, Gaston Nichols, Noah White, Kenny Wallis, Eric Bates, Mark Harrelson, Chet Bennett, Phil York, Danny Brown, Blake English, James Bevelle, John Conner, Jr., Dan Rudin and Barry Beckett (of the Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section) and others proved invaluable. His studio experience, along with his knowledge of synthesizers and MIDI technology, prepared him well for the classes in music technology which he taught in various venues. His combination of musical and technological skills are considered by many of his peers to be rare.





2008-2010 Performances
In January 2008, Reach performed as guest artist with the Howard Paul Trio at the Jazz Corner on Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, a venue he returned to with his own trio on October 3 and 4. On March 20, 2008, at the behest of Chuck Leishman, publisher of The Birmingham Weekly, he directed the house band at the 2008 Birmingham Area Music Awards. The band, known collectively as The Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame All-Stars, accompanied BAMA Award recipients Chuck Leavell and Peter Wolf. From July 20 to 26, 2008, he performed at the W. C. Handy Music Festival, alongside jazz players such as guitarist Mundell Lowe, drummer Bill Goodwin, trumpeter Ken Watters, guitarist Lloyd Wells and saxophonists Kelley O'Neal and Rick Bell. This was Reach's sixth year of performing at this annual festival. On August 21, 2008, he was featured on the "Tapestry" radio show, hosted by Greg Bass on WBHM Radio 90.3 FM in Birmingham, Alabama. On September 27, 2008, The Ray Reach Quartet, featuring saxophonist Gary Wheat, drummer Steve Ramos, Count Basie bassist Cleveland Eaton, with guest, New York trumpeter Lew Soloff, appeared at the Taste of 4th Avenue Jazz Festival in Birmingham, Alabama.

On March 28, 2009, in his role as Director of Student Jazz Programs for the Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame, Reach was one of the hosts of the Hall of Fame's 7th Annual Student Jazz Band Festival. The guest clinician / performers included pianist Bill Carrothers and saxophonist Eric Marienthal. On March 25–27, 2010, he repeated the role; the guest clinician was drummer T. S. Monk. From July 19 to 25, 2009, he appeared at the W. C. Handy Music Festival in Florence, Alabama, sharing the stage with Bill Goodwin, Rick Bell, Sonny Harris, Ken Watters, Jim Ferguson, Robert Dickson, Mundell Lowe and others. He made a similar appearance at the 2010 festival, from July 25 to July 31, 2010.

Partial discography
As pianist / keyboardist, arranger, vocalist and producer
 * Ellis Marsalis and the SuperJazz Big Band. UAB SuperJazz, Featuring Ellis Marsalis (2001). Co-produced with Henry Panion), recorded at the Alys Stephens Center.
 * Ray Reach and Friends. Especially For You (1994). Jazz quartet.
 * Ray Reach and Friends. Have Yourself A Jazzy Little Christmas (2005). Jazz quartet, recorded at CBS Recording Studio
 * Janet Rubino. Worthy Sparrow (2005). A colloection of Christian songs and service music.
 * Joylight. Let There Be Love (1990). Produced by Reach and Michael Loveless.
 * Bo Rivers. Country Blue (1986). Country music. Produced by Reach.
 * Bo Rivers. She Just Keeps On Lovin' You (1986). Country music. Produced by Reach.
 * Bo Rivers. Broken Promises (1986). Country music. Produced by Reach.

As producer
 * K. Lee Scott. Christmastide (2003). Choral music.
 * K. Lee Scott. Requiem (2006). Choral music.
 * Uncle Bud's Lectro Wood Experience. Comedic Bluegrass. Production assistance and musician contracting by Reach. Recorded at Bates Brothers Recording and at the studio of John Conner, Jr. in Brentwood, Tennessee. Glen Duncan on fiddle.

As arranger
 * Jonathan Butler and Juanita Bynum with the Gospel Goes Classical Orchestra. Gospel Goes Classical (2006). Recorded live at the Alys Stephens Center. Produced by Henry Panion. No. 2 Gospel Album in the US. No. 3 in the Billboard Classical Crossover category. Orchestral arrangements by Reach.
 * Anetta Nunn (Birmighham Police Chief) Gospel In Blues. Produced by Henry Panion. Horn arrangements by Reach.
 * Alabama Blues Machine. Must Be Love. (2008). Produced by Ross Roberts. Horn arrangements by Reach.

As keyboardist and arranger
 * Dick's Hat Band. Got The Whole Town Talkin' (1995). Produced by Ross Roberts. R & B. Chuck Tilley, drums. Horn arrangements by Reach. Hammond B-3 played by Reach.

As Keyboardist
 * Little Jimmy Reed. School's Out Produced by Ross Roberts. Blues. Hammond B-3 played by Reach.
 * Mark Sallings. (1995). Let It Be Known – Mark Sallings and the Famous Unknowns Blues harmonica player Mark Sallings. B-3 played by Reach.
 * Mark Sallings. (1996). Talkin' To Myself Blues harmonica player Mark Sallings. B-3 played by Reach. (The Famous Unknowns were the house band at B. B. King's in Memphis from 1991 to 1994.)
 * Gary Hallquist, composer. Requiem for the Millineum Commissioned by the New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary.

As producer, arranger and keyboardist
 * Lou Marini and the Magic City Jazz Orchestra. Lou's Blues (2001). Liner notes by Bob Belden.
 * Eric Essix and the Night Flight Big Band. SuperBlue (2006). Jazz guitarist Eric Essix, featuring guest saxophonist Lou Marini.
 * Amy Drinkwater. With All My Heart – A Journey to the Soul (2005). Christian jazz vocals, recorded at Bates Brothers Recording Studio
 * Mark Dunn. For The Good Times (2008). Pop, featuring saxophonist Mark Dunn.
 * Roszetta Johnson. Christmas Songs With A Touch Of Jazz (2008). All Arrangements by Reach, with vocals by Roszetta Johnson.

As producer, arranger, keyboardist, vocalist and guitarist
 * James Clark Count On Me (1997). Original songs by singer / songwriter James Clark, recorded at Bates Brothers Recording Studio. Features Don Jones (bass), Steve Sample, Jr (drums), Ray Reach (keyboards, guitar and arrangements), Ross Roberts (guitar), Wayne Perkins (guitar) and the Tuscaloosa Horns.
 * Dr. Dan "Harpdog" Marson. Blues, Gospel and Jazz Harmonica (1999). Produced by Reach.
 * Chuck "Doc" Snow. Pray For Me (2006). Produced and arranged by Ray Reach. Features Reach on vocals, guitar and keyboards and Wayne Perkins on guitars and vocals.

As producer, composer, arranger and conductor
 * UAB Jazz Ensemble UAB Jazz Ensemble, Volume 1 (2005). A collection of jazz orchestra arrangements, including the classic "Cotton Tail" by Duke Ellington and original compositions and arrangements by Eric Essix and Reach. Featuring guest artists Ken Watters and Eric Essix

As keyboardist, arranger and vocalist
 * Dave Loggins, Ray Reach and Various Artists. The New Course Record (1995). A collection of songs about the game of golf. Produced by Don Hays and Mike Chapman on Music Row in Nashville, Tennessee.

As producer, composer, arranger, keyboardist and vocalist
 * Ray Reach and Various Artists: Mr President (Dallas production, 1989). A song written and produced for the purpose of benefitting the homeless in the Dallas area. Song composed by Michael Loveless, Joe Sterling and Reach.
 * Ray Reach and Various Artists: Mr President" (Birmingham, Alabama production, 1993) A new production of the song, done by Alabama talent, benefitting the homeless in the Birmingham area.

"Mr. President" on HBO
Following the 1989 Dallas production of the "Mr. President" (see listing above), the song was featured on HBO's Comic Relief special. On this show, the song was performed by singers Natalie Cole and Al Jarreau, along with New York City public school choral students and a band led by saxophonist Tom Scott.