''Proliferation'' is the debut album by People, Places & Things, a quartet led by American jazz drummer Mike Reed featuring saxophonists Greg Ward and Tim Haldeman, and bassist Jason Roebke. It was recorded in 2007 and released on 482 Music. Reed formed the band to explore the Chicago hard-bop scene from 1954-1960.''Proliferation''
at 482 Music

Music

"Is-It", attributed to the entire Chicago hard-bop band MJT + 3, was most likely a

Frank Strozier Frank R. Strozier Jr. (born June 13, 1937) is a jazz alto saxophonist and occasional flutist. Strozier was born in Memphis, Tennessee, where he learned to play piano. In 1954, he moved to Chicago, where he performed with Harold Mabern, George Co ...

composition. "Wilbur's Tune Number 2" was composed by drummer Willbur Campbell and featured on the

Ira Sullivan Ira Sullivan (May 1, 1931 – September 21, 2020) was an American jazz trumpeter, flugelhornist, flautist, saxophonist, and composer born in Washington, D.C., United States. An active musician since the 1950s, he often worked with Red Rodney ...

record ''

Nicky's Tune ''Nicky's Tune'' is an album by American jazz trumpeter Ira Sullivan, which was recorded in 1958 but not issued until 1970 by Delmark. He leads a quintet with saxophonist Nicky Hill, pianist Jodie Christian, bassist Victor Sproles and drummer Wi ...

''. "Be-Ware", written by alto saxophonist John Jenkins, was a dedication to bassist

Wilbur Ware Wilbur Bernard Ware (September 8, 1923 – September 9, 1979) was an American jazz double bassist.Feather, Leonard & Gitler, Ira (2007) ''The Biographical Encyclopedia of Jazz'', p. 674. Oxford University Press He was a regular bassist for ...

included on ''

The Chicago Sound ''The Chicago Sound'' is the sole album led by American jazz bassist Wilbur Ware. It features a quintet with the saxophonist Johnny Griffin and was recorded in 1957 for the Riverside label.John Neely and featured on the

Clifford Jordan Clifford Laconia Jordan (September 2, 1931 – March 27, 1993) was an American jazz tenor saxophone player and composer. Originally from Chicago, Jordan later moved to New York City, where he recorded extensively in addition to touring across ...

John Gilmore John Gilmore may refer to: * John Gilmore (activist) (born 1955), co-founder of the Electronic Frontier Foundation and Cygnus Solutions * John Gilmore (musician) (1931–1995), American jazz saxophonist * John Gilmore (representative) (1780–1845), ...

album '' Blowing in from Chicago''. The band perform two

Sun Ra Le Sony'r Ra (born Herman Poole Blount, May 22, 1914 – May 30, 1993), better known as Sun Ra, was an American jazz composer, bandleader, piano and synthesizer player, and poet known for his experimental music, "cosmic" philosophy, prolific ou ...

tunes, "Planet Earth" and "Saturn", which many consider The Arkestra's theme song. "Sleepy" is a piece by singer, poet and activist Oscar Brown Jr. "FA" is a tune by tenor saxophonist Tommy "Madman" Jones. "Pondering", another John Jenkins composition, was featured on the album '' Alto Madness'', co-led with

Jackie McLean John Lenwood McLean (May 17, 1931 – March 31, 2006) was an American jazz alto saxophonist, composer, bandleader, and educator. He is one of the few musicians to be elected to the ''DownBeat'' Hall of Fame in the year of their death. Bio ...

Reception

The ''

Down Beat ''DownBeat'' (styled in all caps) is an American music magazine devoted to "jazz, blues and beyond", the last word indicating its expansion beyond the jazz realm that it covered exclusively in previous years. The publication was established in 1 ...

'' review by Bill Meyer states "By applying their outside talents with discipline and verve, the quartet’s members give some old seeds plenty of rich nourishment."Meyer, Bill. ''Proliferation'' review. ''Down Beat'' November 08: page 73. Print. In a review for

All About Jazz ''All About Jazz'' is a website established by Michael Ricci in 1995. A volunteer staff publishes news, album reviews, articles, videos, and listings of concerts and other events having to do with jazz. Ricci maintains a related site, ''Jazz Near ...

, Troy Collins says "With each tune dedicated to the people, places and things that have inspired him, ''Proliferation'' is Reed's love letter to his home town—a rich and invigorating ode to the grand tradition of post-war Chicago jazz."Collins, Troy
''The Speed of Change'' review
at

Track listing

:''All compositions by Mike Reed except as indicated'' # "Is-It" (MJT+3) – 4:02 # "Wilbur's Tune" (Wilbur Campbell) – 5:02 # "Be-Ware" ( John Jenkins) – 6:47 # "People" – 1:38 # "Status Quo" ( John Neely) – 5:25 # "Planet Earth" (

) – 7:24 # "Sleepy" (

Bobby Bryant Bobby Bryant (born January 24, 1944) is an American former professional football player who was a cornerback who played for the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the South Carolina Gamecock ...

/ Oscar Brown Jr.) – 5:37 # "Places" – 5:51 # "FA" (Tommy "Madman" Jones) – 5:14 # "Pondering" (John Jenkins) – 4:29 # "Saturn" (Sun Ra) – 3:18 # "Things" – 4:21

Personnel

*Greg Ward –

alto sax The alto saxophone is a member of the saxophone family of woodwind instruments. Saxophones were invented by Belgian instrument designer Adolphe Sax in the 1840s and patented in 1846. The alto saxophone is pitched in the key of E, smaller th ...

clarinet The clarinet is a Single-reed instrument, single-reed musical instrument in the woodwind family, with a nearly cylindrical bore (wind instruments), bore and a flared bell. Clarinets comprise a Family (musical instruments), family of instrume ...

percussion A percussion instrument is a musical instrument that is sounded by being struck or scraped by a percussion mallet, beater including attached or enclosed beaters or Rattle (percussion beater), rattles struck, scraped or rubbed by hand or ...

piano A piano is a keyboard instrument that produces sound when its keys are depressed, activating an Action (music), action mechanism where hammers strike String (music), strings. Modern pianos have a row of 88 black and white keys, tuned to a c ...

*Tim Haldeman –

tenor sax The tenor saxophone is a medium-sized member of the saxophone family, a group of instruments invented by Adolphe Sax in the 1840s. The tenor and the alto are the two most commonly used saxophones. The tenor is pitched in the key of B (while ...

, percussion, piano *Jason Roebke –

bass Bass or Basses may refer to: Fish * Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species Wood * Bass or basswood, the wood of the tilia americana tree Music * Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in th ...

, percussion, piano * Mike Reed –

drums The drum is a member of the percussion instrument, percussion group of musical instruments. In the Hornbostel–Sachs classification system, it is a membranophones, membranophone. Drums consist of at least one Acoustic membrane, membrane, c ...

, piano

References

{{Authority control 2008 albums Mike Reed (musician) albums