For saxophonist Bob Reynolds, connecting with audiences is as natural as breathing. Whether on stage in front of tens of thousands backing singer John Mayer or packing New York City jazz clubs with his own band, making music that simultaneously challenges the mind and soothes the soul is his specialty.
YouTube videos of Reynolds performing have surpassed 200,000 views and he has a large base of charismatic fans who share a common trait which is unusual for jazz artists: many are young, female and don’t regularly listen to or play jazz, but they love Bob Reynolds and his music.
On his new release, A LIVE LIFE, Reynolds is joined by musical contemporaries who share his philosophy of what jazz feels like. All are either singer-songwriters or have worked extensively with them. Every musician who plays with Bob knows how to serve a song and build a groove. Whether long-time collaborators, or first-time band-mates, the ability to put forth a sound that unifies his audience with the band happens effortlessly under his leadership.
In addition to the complex sound that Reynolds is already well-known for, there are tracks on the album which exhibit a Brian Eno-esque ambiance – “Can’t Wait for Perfect (Prelude)” – as well as step into a territory that is more The Mars Volta than jazz quartet (“Feedback”). In several spots, Reynolds employs the use of a delay pedal to create a hypnotic and floating sound.
Bob Reynolds graduated with honors from Berklee College of Music and has been the recipient of 4 ASCAP Young Jazz awards. He has released 4 albums as a leader and has toured for the past several years with John Mayer. After nearly a decade in New York, he now lives in Los Angeles.
What’s your setup?
Tenor: (recently) P. Mauriat System 76 2nd Edition (for years I’ve played a Selmer Mark VI) with Otto Link hard rubber #9 and Rico Royal 3 1/2 reeds.
Soprano: Yamaha YSS-675 with Otto Link hard rubber #8 and Rico Select 3 1/2 reeds.
Alto: Yamaha YAS-62 with Meyer 5m and Rico Royal #4 reeds.
Where did you attend high school?
Douglas Anderson School of the Arts in Jacksonville, FL.
Where did you grow up?
I was born in Morristown, NJ but moved frequently (we lived in upstate New York and Berlin, Germany before settling in Florida). Eighth grade was the first year I spent two consecutive years at one school!
Where did you attend college?
Berklee College of Music in Boston, MA.
Who was your teacher?
I’ve had some great teachers. My first was Brent Majors who was a disciple of Detroit’s Larry Teal (Larry also taught Joe Henderson). Brent instilled in me the importance of fundamentals and a strong foundation on the horn. To this day I refer to books he had me working out of when I was 14.
High school was where I laid the important groundwork. My teachers during that time were musicians at my arts high school and in town who were more experienced than I was. Joe Cohen, Alex Mincek, Kevin Bales, Scott Giddens, Justin Varnes…these guys introduced me to music I needed to hear, encouraged me, and, most importantly, told me when I sounded bad!
In college I studied with George Garzone, Hal Crook, Billy Pierce, Ed Tomassi, and Walter Beasley. Each one of them gave me crucial feedback and opened my ears to really hip stuff. But like in high school, I can’t say enough about the peer group I was fortunate enough to be a part of at Berklee. There were some monster players there during that time: Miguel Zenon, Kendrick Scott, Walter Smith III, Janek Gwizdala, Mark Kelley, Patrick Cornelius, Milan Milanovic, Mark Small, Lionel Louke, Lage Lund, Dayna Stephens, …it’s a long list!
