Legendary string bassist Reid to perform at Leonardi concert

April 1, 2010 at 12:00a.m.

If you go

What: Leonardi Legacy Concert, featuring Rufus Reid

When: 8 p.m. Monday

Where: The Chestnut Room, Kilcawley Center, Youngstown State University

Tickets: All seats are $10 (free for YSU students with valid ID) and will be available at the door and in advance. Corporate tables are available for $300; they include eight tickets to a preconcert reception and a meet-and-greet with the guest artist. Call the box office at (330) 941-3105.

Place:YSU - Kilcawley Center: One University Plaza, Youngstown

The Vindicator

Legendary string bassist Rufus Reid will be the guest artist at the Dana School of Music’s Leonardi Legacy Concert. The annual event will by Monday in Youngstown State University’s Kilcawley Center. The university’s Jazz Ensemble 1 also will perform.

Reid has performed and recorded with scores of jazz masters in his long career.

He began his career after graduating high school, when he entered the U.S. Air Force as a trumpet player. During that period, he became interested in the bass. After his military stint, Reid moved to Seattle, where he studied with James Harnett of the Seattle Symphony. He continued his education at Northwestern University in Illinois, where he studied with Warren Benfield and principal bassist Joseph Guastefeste, both of the Chicago Symphony. He graduated in 1971.

Reid is also a respected composer and participated in the BMI Jazz Composer’s Workshop for five years. He won the Charlie Parker Jazz Composition Award for his composition “Skies Over Emilia.” The John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation named Reid a Guggenheim Fellow in 2008.

A prolific performer, Reid has released numerous recordings. His book, “The Evolving Bassist,” continuously published since 1974, is recognized as the industry standard for bass.

The Leonardi Legacy Concert honors the late Tony Leonardi, founder of YSU’s jazz program. The event brings a prominent jazz artist to YSU to participate in master classes and workshops, interact with students and perform a concert for the community.