Cellist and composer Tomeka Reid releases her first album as leader

Cellist and composer Tomeka Reid releases her first album as leader
Cellist and composer Tomeka Reid releases her first album as leader

Cellist and composer Tomeka Reid releases her first album as leader

WBEZ brings you fact-based news and information. Sign up for our newsletters to stay up to date on the stories that matter.
There aren’t a lot of cellos in jazz. But then again, there aren’t a lot of musicians like Tomeka Reid. Classically trained, Reid didn’t consider jazz as her main bag until flutist Nicole Mitchell pulled her into Mitchell’s Black Earth Ensemble 15 years ago. Since then she’s taught kids, lent her talents to a wide variety of ensembles and genres, has worked with just about everyone in Chicago’s world-renowned improvisation scene and played in world capitals. Now she’s got an album of her own, the Tomeka Reid Quartet. She played selections from it for us.