The Swiss Jazz magazine Jazz’n’more dedicated an article to the recipient of our 2023 Award of Recognition, Dizzy Reece, in its current issue.
“Born in Jamaica in 1931, trumpeter Dizzy Reece left a significant mark on both the European and American jazz scenes. In 2023, the Festival of New Trumpet Music (FONT) in New York honored Reece with the Award of Recognition.
Under the direction of Dave Douglas, the Festival of New Trumpet Music (FONT) has been held annually in New York since 2003. As part of this event, an Award of Recognition is also presented. The fact that the category of “Unsung Heroes” dominates among the winners is no coincidence—this award primarily recognizes artistic achievements that rarely make big headlines. Past recipients have included Bobby Bradford, Baikida Carroll, Jimmy Owens, Wadada Leo Smith, Charles Tolliver, and the late John McNeil, who passed away last September. Last year, for the first time, a trumpeter from the Caribbean was honored: Dizzy Reece, born in 1931 in Kingston, Jamaica.
Reece had already become a professional musician at the age of 16 and moved to London in 1948, where he played with Victor Feldman and Tubby Hayes. Starting in 1955, he recorded a series of albums for the Tempo label. During the 1950s, Reece traveled extensively across Europe and often performed with visiting American musicians. At one point, he even played with the Beromünster entertainment orchestra in Switzerland. Through word of mouth, the Blue Note label took notice of the trumpeter with the big sound—leading to the recording of the album “Blues in Trinity” in London in 1958. This album featured British musicians alongside American greats Donald Byrd (trumpet) and Art Taylor (drums).
With this success, Reece laid the foundation for his move to the United States, where he recorded two more outstanding albums for Blue Note: “Star Bright” (a quintet with Hank Mobley, Wynton Kelly, Paul Chambers, and Art Taylor) and “Soundin’ Off” (a quartet with Walter Bishop Jr., Doug Watkins, and Taylor). Another album from this period, “Comin’ On”, was recorded but remained unreleased until 1999. In 1962, Reece recorded another album, “Asia Minor”, for the New Jazz label, featuring saxophonists Joe Farrell and Cecil Payne, alongside an exceptional rhythm sectionwith Hank Jones, Ron Carter, and Charlie Persip.
The recordings from 1958 to 1962 undoubtedly mark the creative peak of Reece’s relatively small body of work. This was partly due to the better production conditions for bebop jazz and its offshoots at the time. Later, this style of music was largely confined to small niches, such as the tiny label Bee Hive, for which Reece recorded his 1978 album “Manhattan Project” with saxophonists Clifford Jordan and Charles Davis, alongside Albert Dailey (piano), Art Davis (bass), and Roy Haynes (drums).
A few years later, Reece and Clifford Jordan formed a big band, resulting in the beautifully relaxed live recordings “Play What You Feel” and “Down Through the Years”, both recorded at Condon’s Club in New York in 1990 and 1991, respectively. In 1981, Reece gave a spectacular performance at the New York City Jazz Festival, accompanied by Albert Dailey, Calvin Hill (bass), and Al Drears (drums)—a performance that is only available as a download on Bandcamp. Trumpeter James Zollar even mentioned this recording in a YouTube video made for the 2023 FONT award ceremony, exclaiming, “You gotta check it out!”
For this video, trumpeter Jeremy Pelt interviewed several musicians about Reece, including Jonathan Finlayson, Duane Eubanks, Marquis Hill, and Sean Jones. All of them unanimously praised Reece’s rich, full sound. Reece himself described his playing as fundamentally lyrical, citing Buck Clayton as an early influence. When discussing Reece’s improvisational style, Marquis Hill highlighted its “clarity and fluidity”, while Zollar noted his unique use of intervals. Eubanks summed it up: “He found a way to play himself.”
Reece was not an innovator, but within his clearly defined musical language, he managed to make his mark with a distinctive voice.”
by Tom Gsteiger, Jazz’n’more, March 2025
