Chuck Redd CHUCK REDD: A Drummer’s Odyssey Chuck Redd has a growing reputation as one of the top performers on the jazz circuit today and is equally adept on the drums and vibraphone.He had the good fortune to have been influenced, mentored, and to have performed with some of the true masters of his craft. His parents were not musicians, but loved music, so Chuck and his brother heard a lot of music around the house. “Growing up in the 1960s, I always associated music with joy and fun, and after hearing Gene Krupa and Buddy Rich, there wasn’t any question that I wanted to play the drums. I took lessons on the snare drum at age 10, played in school bands, and began to dabble on the vibes while in high school.” It was while attending Montgomery Community College that he came under the tutelage of pianist/ composer/arranger Bill Potts. “Bill really taught me about music, and he took me on my first trip to New York City to hear some real jazz. I sat in with Al Cohn at the 1976 Manassas Jazz Festival when I was 18 as the youngest musician in that year’s lineup.” Chuck free-lanced around the Washington, D.C. metro area, taking advantage of any and all opportunities to gain experience. His first big break came when he was 21, and he began touring the globe as one-third of the Charlie Byrd Trio. That led to joining up with the Great Guitars, a group that included Byrd, Barney Kessel, and Herb Ellis. Chuck was featured vibraphonist with the Mel Torme All-Star Jazz Quintet from 1991 until 1996 which included two concerts at Carnegie Hall. While appearing in New York with Torme, Ira Gitler of Jazz Times said, “Redd’s vibes were equally notable for vigor and melodiousness.” Jazz Times praised Redd’s playing describing his vibes work as, “Exquisite! “ The Washington Post admired his “melodic sparkle”, For two consecutive years, Chuck was awarded “Best Vibist” in New York City’s Hot House Jazz Magazine 2015 and 2016 Fans’ Decision Award. He has made over 25 European tours and six tours of Japan with artists such as Ken Peplowski, Terry Gibbs, Conte Candoli, and the Benny Goodman Tribute Orchestra. He performed at the White House with the Barney Kessel Trio, has appeared on The Tonight Show, and traveled to Africa with the Dizzy Gillespie Quintet to celebrate the Namibian Independence. Gunther Schuller hired Redd to become a member of the Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra, an assignment that lasted for 15 years. He is currently the Artistic Director of The Oregon Festival of American Music. Chuck served as artist-in-residence at the Smithsonian Jazz Café (2004-2008) and was the featured soloist in the finale concert at the Lionel Hampton International Jazz Festival with the Lionel Hampton Big Band and the Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra. He calls a 2007 appearance with the Milt Jackson Tribute Band “one of my greatest honors.” Chuck was the 2013 Los Angeles Jazz Society’s Vibes Summit honoree, the 2014 honoree at The Roswell Jazz Festival, and 2019 Honored Musician at the Colorado Springs Jazz Party. In 2021, Chuck could be heard in concerts with Monty Alexander and The Harlem Kingston Express and has recently recorded with Ken Peplowski and John Pizzarelli.
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