The Artistry of… Eric Reed
Art is art and influence comes from many sources, things, and existences. I love it when there are elements of a genre or discipline that cross bridges to touch down in another genre or discipline. It results in inspiration tokens that are like sparks for another artist’s energy.
This is true for piano player Eric Reed. One of his sparks comes from the late Canadian genius Glenn Gould, who said this of his artistry and the importance of originality in interpretation: “To do it differently, to actually cover new ground… one turns performance into composition.” That powerful shared expression of a nugget of artistry inspired and informs the artistry of Eric Reed. Building upon this gemstone, Reed has put it this way when speaking of arranging music he will play: “l use the exact melody that was in the sheet music. Everything under that, as far as I’m concerned, is up for grabs.” It may sound audacious and brazen, but it is the deepest impression of the signature of his sound at the keyboard.
The musical endgame really feels like Reed is very focused on how the music lands at the ear and then finds its way to the ear of the soul to be able to receive the message of the music without any question of its truest intent. He is making music while making the music. He’s giving it an originality in its interpretation. He is true to the messages and skillfully free in its expression, accent, and artistic dialect.
