JOHN REID (saxophones, flute, clarinet, percussion, vocals, composer) has been leading his own jazz groups since 1974, when (at the encouragement of teachers Phil Nimmons and Oscar Peterson) he formed a quartet at the first annual Banff Centre Jazz Workshop to make a Jazz Radio Canada broadcast. He has recorded two commercially available compact discs: Island Shuffle (1993) and Caravan (2003). The John Reid Quartet performed at the Havana (Cuba) International Jazz Festival in December of 2002.

John Reid is the full time Prairie Regional Director of the Canadian Music Centre in Calgary, and Artistic Director of the Jazz Is Society of Alberta. He has done a radio show weekly for 22 years; from 1981 to 1991 he hosted the weekly Jazz Space and Jazz Spectrum programs on CJAY 92 FM in Calgary and since 1988 he has done the weekly program The Canadian Music Centre Presents on CJSW 90.9 FM in Calgary. Reid has taught Jazz History on an annual basis as Sessional Instructor at the University of Calgary since 1984. He teaches a new course at U of C that he founded, called The African Effect in Music. Reid is a Master of Arts degree candidate at Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, and his thesis topic is Dexter Gordon.

Reid’s CD of original compositions and jazz standards, Island Shuffle, was reviewed in Cadence Magazine, and as a result, an entry on John Reid is contained in the Music Index. An entry on John Reid is contained in Mark Miller’s book Boogie, Pete and the Senator - Canadian Musicians in Jazz: The Eighties (Nightwood Editions, 1987). His groups have made broadcast recordings for the national networks of CBC Radio and Television, CKUA Radio, CBC local radio, CKRA-FM (Edmonton), and CHQR-AM (Calgary).

After playing with local rock bands in Calgary, John turned professional in 1970 with the 25-piece show group Stratus Faction that toured North America and did TV shows for CTV and CBC networks. He also toured with territory funk bands in the 70s before completing his Bachelor of Music degree at the University of Calgary in 1979.

A stint with Alberta Culture took Reid to Edmonton music in 1980-81 where he played with Tommy Banks, George Blondheim, Bob Stroup, and others before he returned to Calgary. Gigs with Calgary’s jazz orchestra, Saturday Pro Band, gave Reid the opportunity to play with Dizzy Gillespie, Paul Horn and Bob Brookmeyer.

John Reid has accompanied the following artists in his career (among others): Diana Krall, Tom Jones, Bob Hope, Della Reese, Red Skelton, Joan Rivers, Lou Rawls, Harry Connick Jr., Rosemary Clooney, Sam Moore (of Sam and Dave), Connie Stevens, Mitch Miller, Ben Vereen, Crystal Gayle, Helen Reddy, Fifth Dimension, Guy Lombardo Orchestra, Rich Little, P.J. Perry, Lesley Gore, and Hans Graf and the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra among others. When Gino Vanelli played Calgary in the fall of 1990, Reid was invited to be the local guest saxophone player to play the saxophone solo on Vanelli's hit For Your Love. In May of 1991, the John Reid Quartet played the warm-up set for Mel Torme at the Jack Singer Concert Hall of the Calgary Centre for Performing Arts. Reid premiered his new work for solo tenor saxophone, Improvisation No. 1, for the New Works Calgary society in September of 1991.

Reid is the founder and past chairman of the Calgary International Jazz Festival and founding secretary and past president of the Jazz Calgary society. He was a member of the orchestra that recorded the music for the 1988 Winter Olympic Games Opening and Closing Ceremonies music under the direction of Tommy Banks.

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