Although jazz legend Rufus Reid is best known as a bassist, he didn’t play much bass during his weeklong April residency at SFCM. But when you’re preparing for a reading of your chamber works, rehearsing SFCM’s Big Band for a night of your music, sitting in with the classical bass studio, and giving a seminar to the Composition department, it’s understandable.

“I have a lot of music in my head from listening to music over the years, and now I'm listening to more music and hearing more music than I ever have in my whole life,” Reid explained. His residency was designed to bring him into contact with the wider world of SFCM and focus on his work as a composer rather than an instrumentalist. So, while the Roots, Jazz and American Music (RJAM) Department Big Band was preparing an evening of his compositions, students across the school benefited from his visit as well.

SFCM’s Associate Dean of Community Development and RJAM Executive Director, Jason Hainsworth, said he’s been teaching Reid’s music for years. “One of Rufus’ albums, Quiet Pride, I've been listening to really since it came out in 2014. In my own composition and arranging classes, it's always been something I played for students so that they could hear the possibilities of what could be done. But I never had the opportunity to actually put it on a concert. The two pieces from that album we’re playing, ‘Talking Head’ and ‘Mother and Child,’ are ones I thought that, while challenging, the students would really learn a lot from playing.”

Rufus Reid works with string and piano chamber music students.

Students from the SFCM Orchestra and Chamber Music Department got a glimpse of a different side of Reid when they gathered to perform a trio and a string quartet he’d written. Clarinetist Zoe King (above left) recalled, "[Reid’s trio] Harness the Winds was a difficult piece to put together, but the process of learning and performing it taught me so much. It was so exciting to be able to play Rufus Reid's own piece for him and I loved hearing about his process of composing it.”

The spring RJAM Big Band concert was largely dedicated to Reid’s work, which he conducted from the podium rather than from behind an upright bass. RJAM bassist Alan Jones (pictured below, second from right), who played the concert, said, “Getting the opportunity to learn from one of the most prolific and legendary musicians in the jazz canon has been incredible, and seeing how Mr. Reid conducts rehearsals and approaches coaching musicians has been super inspiring.” Jones, who graduates this spring, adds, “The way he was able to convey the sonic landscapes that his big band pieces inhabit made it super easy to play his music in a way that elevated it beyond just the notes he wrote.”

Rufus Reid teaches a bass masterclass at SFCM.

Reid himself was blown away by hearing his music performed by SFCM students: “The first time I heard the rehearsal of the string quartet, I'm sitting here thinking, ‘Did I write that?’ Because they played so well; they played it like Mozart wrote it.” He added, “This is the first time in my life of anything like this happening in terms of my music, so I feel very fortunate to hear the breadth of students I have, to hear the breadth of what can be done.”

Reid also made visits to Scott Pingel’s classical double bass studio and the Composition Department’s weekly seminar, led by Chair David Conte. “It was a privilege and delight to have Rufus Reid visit our seminar,” Conte said. “He charmed the students with his sincerity and impressed them with his vast experience as an artist and musician. He was genuinely interested in every student and drew them out to share their thoughts and experiences in a way that resulted in a truly valuable exchange.”  

Rufus Reid coaches chamber ensembles playing his compositions.

And, as if all that wasn’t enough, Reid watched the RJAM Department Latin Jazz Band rehearse (including a tune composed by student Ryan Camastral) and also found time to coach the department’s combos. RJAM bass faculty (and SFJAZZ Collective member) Matt Brewer said of Reid’s coaching, “He’s an inspiration. After decades of experience playing at the highest artistic level with the most legendary figures of this music, he’s uniquely able to impart a deep level of wisdom to all the students lucky enough to spend some time with him. Even with his vast experience, he exudes an infectious musical curiosity and enthusiasm for new musical ventures that serves as a great reminder— the joy and discovery of this music is lifelong and ever present for those who choose it.”

"Music's very powerful," Reid said when he visited SFCM in 2023. "If you want it, it's all out there, free of charge. Take it, and work it, and when you leave here, inspire someone else to come in and get it. It's in the air, and once it's out there, it's yours."

Learn more about Roots, Jazz, and American Music at SFCM.