WikiPortallus: Ray Reach.html

Born in Birmingham, Alabama, Reach began piano lessons at age 6, studying with Giula Williams of E. E. Forbes and Sons Piano Company in Birmingham. Later, he studied piano with Carolyn Pfau and Hugh Thomas at the Birmingham Conservatory of Music^[4]. Ray attended Minor High School^[5] near Birmingham, Alabama, Birmingham-Southern College, the University of Montevallo and the University of Alabama, among others. At Birmingham-Southern, Ray studied voice with renowned New York City Opera baritone Andrew Gainey^[6], and studied piano with Sam Howard of the concert piano duo, Hodgens and Howard^[7]. At the University of Alabama (1977–1980), he served as graduate assistant to noted jazz educator Steve Sample, Sr, directing the award winning Jazz Ensemble B. During his time at the University of Alabama, ASCAP presented Ray with the Raymond Hubbell Musical Scholarship, for his contributions to jazz and popular music in America.

Jazz and computer music education

Ray has been involved with synthesizers (and later) computer-produced music since 1969, when he purchased his first Mini Moog. With the advent of MIDI, he worked in research and development for Systems Design Associates, Inc. of Dallas, Texas, makers of MIDI music software. Later, he co-founded the American MIDI Users Group (AMUG), which was based at the Dallas Infomart.

Notable students

As a jazz educator, Ray has taught a number of notable musicians, including: Kelley O'Neal (saxophonist), Beth Gottlieb^[9] (percussionist and wife of drummer Danny Gottlieb), Ned Holder (trombonist), Mark Lanter (drummer)^[10] , Jay Frederick (drummer)^[11], Peter Wolf (producer), Chris Gordon (trumpeter / educator)^[12], Greg Chambers (saxophonist), Dave Miller] (saxophonist)^[13] and Chuck Tilley (drummer), a member of the band Sixwire, who won 2nd place on Fox's American Idol spin-off, The Next Great American Band. Recent alumni of Ray's UAB Jazz Ensemble include pianist / keyboardist Coleman Woodson^[14] and drummer Tim George of Just A Few Cats^[15], the band which gave American Idol Ruben Studdard his entry into the Birmingham music scene. While Mr. Reach was director of the UAB Jazz Ensemble, Studdard often sat in on his rehearsals.^[16]

Performing, conducting, composing and arranging

Ray is a pianist, singer, guitarist, arranger and composer. His skills span numerous musical and stylistic genre, including classical, jazz, contemporary pop, gospel and country.^[17]

Jazz

Vocal and choral music

Ray has been a singer all his life, and has been an active choral conductor for more than 35 years. His first public performance was at age four, singing a spiritual song at his home church, Minor United Methodist, near Birmingham. His love for choral music began at Dixie Junior High School, where he sang in the choir under Tom Pinion, and later at Minor High School, under John Fowler. He began formal voice lessons at age 15 with Andrew Gainey at Birmingham-Southern College and later entered Birmingham-Southern as a voice major, planning to pursue a career as a professional singer. To this day, Ray refers to his singing, among the many musical skills he possesses, as the "...best thing he does musically..."^[25]

During his college undergraduate years, Ray began his choral directing career at Village Falls United Methodist Church. Following this, he was a paid singer at Fairview United Methodist Church, then later was choir director at Norwood United Methodist Church. Subsequently, he sang at First United Methodist Church of Birmingham^[26] (under Sam Owens and later under Hugh Thomas) and was baritone soloist and choir singer at Independent Presbyterian Church in Birmingham^[27] under noted choirmaster and organist Joseph Schreiber^[28]. He also sang in performances with Birmingham Civic Opera^[29], and, while at Birmingham-Southern, sang lead roles in operas such as The Telephone, Amahl and the Night Visitors, The Barber of Seville, The Marriage of Figaro and others. Ray has held numerous positions as Music Minister and singer at churches in Birmingam and Dallas, Texas, including Community Church (Dallas) (7 years), First Presbyterian Church of Dallas (3 years), First Presbyterian Church of Bessemer, Alabama (2.5 years) and St. Francis Episcopal Church in Pelham, Alabama (7 years). He has written numerous choral arrangements and compositions and has produced two CD recordings for internationally known choral composer and conductor K. Lee Scott.

During his seven years at St. Francis Epicopal Church, Ray blended styles of music to create a very unique worship music experience. He employed great traditional hymns, classical music, praise and worship choruses, contemporary Christian songs, and sacred music by jazz composers such as Duke Ellington and Dave Brubeck. Special liturgical music presentations often featured renowned jazz artists, such as Lou Marini, Lew Soloff and Cleveland Eaton.

Ray has taught choral music in schools in Dallas, Texas and in the Birmingham, Alabama area. In the Birmingham area, he was choral director at Minor High School (1991-1993) and at Montevallo and Calera High Schools (1993-1994). His high school choral groups won "superior" ratings (the highest award) at every county and state choral competition in which they participated.

Ray has written arrangements for numerous choral ensembles, including the Dallas Symphony Chorus, the choirs of Shades Mountain Baptist Church^[30] in Birmingham, Alabama, the jazz vocal group Ladies' Night Out^[31] and the Hilltop Singers of Birmingham-Southern College. In the gospel and contemporary Christian music world, Ray has written arrangements for artists such as Jonathan Butler, Anetta Nunn^[32] and the group Joylight, the resident ensemble at Community Church in Dallas, Texas. Reach contributed arrangements to Butler's 2007 CD and DVD, which was titled "Gospel Goes Classical," and rose to number 2 on the Billboard Gospel charts, and number 3 on the Classical Crossover charts nationally. The recording featured Butler, along with Juanita Bynum, a 100+ voice gospel choir and full symphony orchestra, recorded at the Alys Stephens Center.

Orchestral

Ray has done arrangements and transcriptions for many classical artists and orchestras. Orchestras and other classical ensembles he has written for include the Alabama Symphony, the Birmingham Metropolitan Orchestra, the Gospel Goes Classical Orchestra, the Dallas Symphony, the Fort Worth Symphony, the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra, the Charleston Symphony and the Huntsville (Alabama) Symphony. Other ensembles and artists who have commissioned his arrangements include the Texas Saxophone Quartet, the Texas Baroque Ensemble the Southern Methodist University Orchestra, and trumpeter Leonard Candelaria.

Musical theatre

As a composer, Ray has written and arranged Broadway-style musicals for Birmingham Children's Theatre^[33] (Rumplestiltskin^[34], The Perfect Prince, The Bravo Bus and Backstage Baby), an opera titled The Wooden Donkey, and numerous choral compositions.

Commercial jingle production

While living in Dallas, Texas (1983–1991), Ray also wrote and produced commercial jingles and film and video scores, for clients such as United Airlines, Mercedes-Benz, various radio stations and many others.

Influences

Music production

Ray is president of the Birmingham, Alabama based music production company, Magic CIty Music Productions. He learned music production skills by working with and observing the great producers he worked for over the years in various studios around the Southeast, including (in Birmingham) Sound of Birmingham^[35], Boutwell Studios^[36], Bates Brothers Recording^[37], Audiostate 55 Recording Studio^[38], Prestige Productions and PolyMusic Recording; in the Muscle Shoals, Alabama area: Quinvy Studios, FAME Studios; and in the Dallas, Texas area: Sound Logic Recording, Goodnight Audio^[39], Sound Southwest, Crystal Clear Sound^[40], T M Communications^[41], Toby Arnold and Associates^[42], Zimmersmith Productions, Dallas Sound Lab^[43] and others. His association with highly skilled producers and engineers in recording studios in Birmingham, Muscle Shoals, Atlanta, Dallas, Nashville and other cities, such as Ed Boutwell^[44], Gaston Nichols^[45], Noah White, Kenny Wallis, Erioc Bates^[46], Mark Harrelson, Chet Bennett^[47], Phil York^[48], Danny Brown, Blake English, James Bevelle, John Conner, Jr., Dan Rudin^[49] and Barry Beckett^[50] (of the famed Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section) and others proved invaluable. His studio experience, along with his knowledge of synthesizers and MIDI technology prepared him well for the classes in music technology which he taught in various venues. His particular combination of musical and technological skills are considered by many of his peers to be rare. One of Ray's primary role models in his production career is noted musician Quincy Jones.^[51]

Recent Performances

In January 2008, Ray performed as guest artist with the Howard Paul Trio^[52] at the famed Jazz Corner^[53] on Hilton Head Island, South Carolina.

On March 20, 2008, at the behest of Chuck Leishman, publisher of The Birmingham Weekly^[54], Ray directed the house band at the 2008 Birmingham Area Music Awards^[55]. The house band, known collectively as The Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame All-Stars, accompanied noted BAMA Award recipients Chuck Leavell and Peter Wolf.^[56].

From July 20 through July 26, 2008, Ray performed at the W. C. Handy Music Festival, alongside noted jazz players such as guitarist Mundell Lowe, drummer Bill Goodwin, trumpeter Ken Watters, guitarist Lloyd Wells and saxophonists Kelley O'Neal and Rick Bell^[57]. This was Ray's sixth year to perform at this annual festival, which this year hosted almost 300 events in a 7 day period.

On August 21, 2008, Ray was featured on the "Tapestry" radio show, hosted by Greg Bass on WBHM Radio 90.3 FM in Birmingham, Alabama. The show airs every thursday at 6:30pm Central Time.^[58]

On October 3rd and 4th, 2008, The Ray Reach Trio appeared before very appreciative crowds at the Jazz Corner in Hilton Head, South Carolina.^[60]

Partial discography

"Mr. President" on HBO

Following the 1989 Dallas production of the "Mr. President" (See listing above), the song was featured on HBO's Comic Relief special. On this show, the song was performed by singers Natalie Cole and Al Jarreau, along with New York City public school choral students and a band lead by saxophonist Tom Scott. The show was hosted by Whoopi Goldberg, Robin Williams and Billy Crystal.

References

^ Ray Reach Profile at AllAboutJazz.com
^ Magic City Music Productions
^ Brown, Angela: "Birmingham Beat - Uncovering the Local Music Scene", Birmingham Magazine, March, 2006, p. 121
^ Birmingham Conservatory of Music at Bhamwiki.com
^ Minor High School at Bhamwiki.com
^ Andrew Gainey
^ Hodgens and Howard at Uab.edu
^ UAB Jazz Ensemble at Bhamwiki.com
^ Beth Gottlieb
^ Mark Lanter
^ Jay Frederick
^ Chris Gordon
^ http://www.jazza-nova.com/}
^ Coleman Woodson
^ Just A Few Cats
^ http://www.idolmarketplace.com/contestants/season2/ruben-studdard/
^ Listen to Ray Reach music
^ Night Flight Big Band
^ Cleveland Eaton and the Alabama All-Stars
^ SuperJazz Big Band
^ Dallas' Original Jazz Orchestra
^ Ladies' Night Out
^ Annie Sellick
^ Listen to Ray Reach's Compositions and Arrangements
^ Ray Reach Profile at AllAboutJazz.com
^ First United Methodist Church of Birmingham
^ Independent Presbyterian Church
^ Joseph Schreiber
^ Birmingham Civic Opera
^ Shades Mountain Baptist Church
^ Ladies' Night Out
^ Anetta Nunn
^ Birmingham Children's Theatre
^ Rumplestiltskin
^ Sound of Birmingham
^ Boutwell Studios
^ Bates Brothers Recording
^ Audiostate 55 Recording Studio
^ Goodnight Audio
^ Crystal Clear Sound
^ T M Communications
^ Toby Arnold and Associates
^ Dallas Sound Lab
^ Ed Boutwell
^ Gaston Nichols
^ Eric Bates
^ Chet Bennett
^ Phil York
^ Dan Rudin
^ Barry Beckett
^ Listen to Ray Reach's Music Productions
^ Howard Paul Trio
^ Jazz Corner
^ The Birmingham Weekly
^ Birmingham Area Music Awards(the "BAMA" awards)
^ Peter Wolf and the BAMA Awards
^ Rick Bell
^ Interview with Ray Reach on "Tapestry" on WBHM Radio, Birmingham, AL
^ Taste of Fourth Avenue Jazz Festival
^ Ray Reach at The Jazz Corner
^ SuperJazz Big Band
^ Ray Reach and Friends
^ CBS Recording Studios
^ Bates Brothers Recording
^ Glen Duncan
^ Uncle Bud
^ "Gospel Goes Classical"
^ Annetta Nunn
^ "Gospel In Blues"
^ Mark Sallings
^ Magic City Jazz Orchestra
^ Eric Essix
^ Night Flight Big Band
^ Amy Drinkwater
^ Bates Brothers Recording Studio
^ James Clark.
^ Tuscaloosa Horns.
^ Doc Snow.
^ UAB Jazz Ensemble:
^ Eric Essix.
^ Front Row Productions
^ Airwave Productions Group.
^ Minor High School
^ Rob and Shannon

Ray Reach.html

Contents

Early years