European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - March 7, 1962, Darmstadt, Hesse It s an at Freick re a sol for the american jazz quartet in the Market place at an Goleme where the frenchmen at american jazz group in France is dedicated to exploration of new pathways in jazz technique and makes the Grade the american jazz quartet an All i combo whose quadripartite make up dates Back Only to last october is according to its organizer and Leader sp4 Rudolph Reid jr., dedicated to exploring new pathways in jazz during its relatively Briel investigation of these melodic trails it has picked up a considerable safari of enthusiastic support ers both French and american. It seems Likely that its members Al stationed atthe us. Army general depot at Bracone. France will stick together As a musical group after they Complete their current army hitches and get Back into civilian life. The quartet consisting of piano Vibra Harp Bass and Drums. Is currently on the second phase of a tour of com z installation in Western France giving off with a new sound that seems to strike strongly responsive chord in a variety of jazz attuned audiences among american servicemen. R has had similarly warm reception from All French auditors in the old world City of an Goleme not far from Home base and other French communities where it has played. It has also received the endorsement of the United states in formation Agency which sees in the combo s wordless language of music Means of further cementing Franco Ameri can Community relations. Reid a slight quiet spoken Man of 24 who grew up in Miami showed a marked musical Talent before his teens and graduated from Florida s Brownsville conserva tory of music at the age of 14. During his school years at Northwestern High to Miami and later at Urcla he often played professionally As a concert pianist i never played a note of jazz or popular music from the time i was a kid until by Morton p. Gudebrod is Paris Bureau i got Here to Bracone in september ofi960," he told an interviewer. Then a few times Here 1 was just pass ing the time at the keyboard and another Man stationed Here who was a jazz bassist he was sp4 Roland Taylor and he came from Chicago asked me Why i did t try some jazz themes and he d fill in the rhythm. We got to playing together just for social entertainment i had no jazz train ing at All he helped me quite a lot Phe Reid Taylor duo got to be a j. Popular fixture at Bracone. And by the time Taylor went Back to the states.sp4 Ernest Harris a vermonter. Had turned up at the depot he had taken up the Bass fiddle while stationed at it Ben Ning. Ga., before coming to France and he turned out to be just the Man Reid needed to take Taylor s place. Reid and Harris kept playing together with growing Success and last april pfc Fred Palmer arrived at Bracone. Taylor had arrived at Mastery of thevis Brahar via the ukulele guitar Drums. Electric Bass and piano. Like Reid. Palmer who is from upper new York state was not a practitioner of jazz pure or capital jazz that is until he fell in with the Reid Harris musical a Trio was born. Quartet status was achieved last october with the addition of pfc Frank s. Foster. 20. A former Missouri boy who first met up with the Goatskin in an elks drum and Bugle corps. All four men take their musical Avoca Tion seriously and put to a minimum of 15 hours of off duty time a week use playback recordings of their pub Lic performances for to define just How the american jazz quartet s approach differs from that of other groups. Reid choosing his words carefully replies it s mostly a matter of form. I m care Ful about form it s my classical training. I think we improvise less than the average it s my belief that improvisation should be kept to the minimum. I think you could say we impose Classi Cal discipline on modern jazz. We vary the rhythm " does the quartet play Dixieland no Reid says. I like the contrapuntal Quality of Dixieland but i Don like its rhythmic Monotony. We Don t play things like Lollaby i Birdland one of the quartet s specialities is number called from Bach to Brubeck a composed in a sense by take the fugue from the Wen tempered Clavichord in c major and passit through the four instruments gradually working it into the modern jazz concept Reid explains. Reihe Youthful Leader says the group Pra Al ten concert performances to dance engagements we Welcome the Opportunity of playing before a listening audience " he says. We played a Date in the cafe de la Pafco in an Goleme not Long ago. An All French audience and they came to listen not to dance. We were supposed to play f6r fou hours but they kept us there for at. I guess it was partly because we were a Leto play everything they asked for. Palmer and i Are due to get our Dis charges Reid says and Well Civit Anize Over Here. Then we plan to jus stay in this area and wait for the other two. And after that Well stick together Asa quartet it s sheer Lyck that we can work Sowell together. It would be a shame to break it up v March 7, 1962 the stars and stapes a
