Reginald "Reggie" Workman (born June 26, 1937) is an American avant-garde jazz and hard bop double bassist, recognized for his work with both John Coltrane and Art Blakey, in addition to Alice Coltrane, Mal Waldron, Max Roach, Archie Shepp, Trio Three (with Oliver Lake and Andrew Cyrille), Trio Transition, the Reggie Workman Ensemble, and collaborative projects with dance, poetry and drama.
Career
Early in his career, Workman worked in jazz groups led by Freddie Cole, Gigi Gryce, Donald Byrd, Duke Jordan and Booker Little. In 1961, Workman joined the John Coltrane Quartet, replacing Steve Davis. He was present for the saxophonist's Live at the Village Vanguard sessions, and also recorded with a second bassist (Art Davis) on the 1961 album, Olé Coltrane. Workman left Coltrane's group at the end of the year, following a European tour and recording Africa Brass.
In 1962, Workman joined Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers (replacing long-time Blakey bassist Jymie Merritt), and worked alongside Freddie Hubbard, Wayne Shorter, and Cedar Walton for most of his time. Workman left Blakey's group in 1964.
Workman also played with Freddie Cole, Lee Morgan, James Moody, Yusef Lateef, Pharoah Sanders, Herbie Mann and Thelonious Monk. He has recorded with Archie Shepp, Lee Morgan and David Murray. Workman, with pianist Tommy Flanagan and drummer Joe Chambers, formed The Super Jazz Trio in 1978.Dryden, Ken "Tommy Flanagan's Super Jazz Trio – Condado Beach". AllMusic. Retrieved March 16, 2017.
As of 1987, he was a professor at The New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music in New York City, and was a member of the group, Trio 3, with Oliver Lake and Andrew Cyrille. In 1984 he started an on-going performance arts collaborations with writer/director/choreographer Maya Milenovic Workman. Recent works include: "Dos Worlds" "Ophelia's Ocean" & "Guernica Continuum."
Personal life Workman has three children, Nioka Workman (cellist), Olu Workman (entrepreneur), and Ayana Workman (actor/dancer/poet). Workman lived in Montclair, NJ from 1994 - 2005 and is currently a resident of Harlem, New York City.Ebbels, Kelly. "Sonia Sanchez to read alongside Montclair musicians", The Montclair Times, March 21, 2013, backed up by the Internet Archive as of December 30, 2013. Accessed September 18, 2017. "A jazz-and-poetry-infused fundraising event for the Montclair Academy of Dance and Laboratory of Music (MADLOM) will bring together the poet laureate of Philadelphia, Sonia Sanchez, to read alongside jazz musicians, including former Montclair resident and John Coltrane band mate Reggie Workman at the Montclair Public Library, 50 South Fullerton Ave., this Saturday evening, March 23.""The State of Jazz: Meet 40 More Jersey Greats", The Star-Ledger, September 28, 2003, backed up by the Internet Archive as of September 27, 2008. Accessed September 15, 2017. "Reggie Workman -- This bass dynamo, active in post-bop and avant-garde circles, lives in Montclair."
Honors and awards In 1997, Workman was named as the recipient of a Life Achievement Award by the Jazz Foundation of America and was awarded a citation of excellence by the International Association of Jazz Educators. In 1999, the Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation presented him with its Living Legacy Award. In 2020, he received a Guggenheim Fellowship in music composition in collaboration with Maya Milenovic Workman and was named by the National Endowment of the Arts an NEA Jazz Master.
Discography
As leader/co-leader 1977: Conversation with Cecil Bridgewater, Slide Hampton, George Adams, Albert Dailey, Michael Carvin, Lawrence Killian (Denon, 1979) 1978: The Works of Workman (Denon, 1979) 1986: Synthesis (Leo) 1989: Images (Music & Arts) 1993: Altered Spaces (Leo) 1994: Summit Conference (Postcards) 1995: Cerebral Caverns (Postcards)
With the Super Jazz Trio City with Hidefumi Toki (Baystate, 1978) The Super Jazz Trio (Baystate, 1979) – rec. 1978 Something Tasty With Art Farmer (Baystate, 1979) The Standard (Baystate, 1980)
With Trio Transition Trio Transition (DIW, 1987) Trio Transition with Special Guest Oliver Lake (DIW, 1988)
With Trio 3 Live in Willisau (Dizim, 1997) Encounter (Passin' Thru, 2000) Open Ideas (Palmetto, 2002) Time Being (Intakt, 2006) Wha's Nine: Live at the Sunset (Marge, 2008) Berne Concert with Irene Schweizer (Intakt, 2009) At This Time (Intakt, 2009) Celebrating Mary Lou Williams–Live at Birdland New York with Geri Allen (Intakt, 2011) Refraction – Breakin' Glass (Intakt, 2013) Wiring (Intakt, 2014) Visiting Texture (Intakt, 2017)
As supporting artist With Juhani Aaltonen Strings Revisited (Tum, 2002) Reflections (Tum, 2004) with Andrew Cyrille Prana / Live at Groovy (Leo, 1982)
With Roy Ayers Virgo Vibes (Atlantic, 1967)
With Gary Bartz Another Earth (Milestone, 1969)
With Art Blakey Caravan (Riverside, 1963) Ugetsu (Riverside, 1963) Free for All (Blue Note, 1964) Kyoto (Riverside, 1964) Indestructible (Blue Note, 1964) Golden Boy (Colpix, 1964)
With Hamiet Bluiett Orchestra Duet and Septet (Chiaroscuro, 1977)
With The Bridgewater Brothers Lightning and Thunder (Denon, 1977) Generation Suite (Denon, 1978)
With Roy Brooks Ethnic Expressions (Im-Hotep, 1973) Live At Town Hall (Baystate, 1978)
With Marion Brown Vista (Impulse!, 1975) Passion Flower (Baystate, 1978)
With Donald Byrd Byrd in Flight (Blue Note, 1960)
With Don Byron Tuskegee Experiments (Nonesuch, 1990-91 )
With Steve Cohn Shapes, Sounds, Theories (Cadence Jazz, 1984) Bridge Over the X-Stream (Leo, 1999)
With Earl Coleman Manhattan Serenade (1968)
With Johnny Coles Katumbo (Mainstream, 1971)
With Adegoke Steve Colson The Untarnished Dream (Silver Sphinx, 2009)
With Alice Coltrane World Galaxy (Impulse!, 1972) Transfiguration (Warner Bros. Master, 1978)
With John Coltrane Africa/Brass (Impulse!, 1961) Ole Coltrane (Atlantic, 1961) The Complete Copenhagen Concert (Magnetic, 1961) Coltrane "Live" at the Village Vanguard (Impulse!, 1961 ) The Complete 1961 Village Vanguard Recordings (Impulse!, 1961 ) – contains recordings also on Impressions and the above release Newport '63 (Impulse!, 1961 ) Ballads (Impulse!, 1961-1962 ) Impressions (Impulse!, 1961–1963 ) Live Trane: The European Tours (Pablo, 1961-1963 ) So Many Things: The European Tour 1961 (Acrobat, 1961 ) Evenings at the Village Gate: John Coltrane with Eric Dolphy (Impulse!, 1961 )
With Stanley Cowell Brilliant Circles (Freedom, 1972) Such Great Friends (1983) with Billy Harper and Billy Hart
With Marilyn Crispell Gaia (Leo, 1988) Live in San Francisco (Music & Arts, 1989) Live in Zurich (Leo, 1990) Circles (Les Disques Victo, 1991) Highlights from the Summer of 1992 American Tour (Music & Arts, 1993)
With Andrew Cyrille My Friend Louis (DIW, 1992)
With Sussan Deyhim Madman of God: Divine Love Songs of the Persian Sufi Masters (Cramworld, 2000) Shy Angels: Reconstruction and Mix Translation of Madman of God (Cramworld, 2002) with Bill Laswell
With Bill Dixon Intents and Purposes (RCA, 1967)
With Eric Dolphy Softly, As in a Morning Sunrise (Natasha, 1961)
With Booker Ervin The Trance (Prestige, 1965) Setting the Pace (Prestige, 1965) – with Dexter Gordon
With Mario Escalera Blue Mondays (Phoenix, 1981)
With Chris Fagan Lost Bohemia (Open Minds, 1992)
With Art Farmer New York Jazz Sextet: Group Therapy (Scepter, 1966)
With Sonny Fortune Awakening (Horizon, 1975) In the Spirit of John Coltrane (Shanachie, 2000)
With Hal Galper Art-Work (Origin, 2008)
With Grant Green Goin' West (Blue Note, 1962)
With Gigi Gryce Saying Somethin'! (New Jazz, 1960) Reminiscin' (Mercury, 1960)
With Billy Harper Capra Black (Strata-East, 1973)
With Andrew Hill Grass Roots (Blue Note, 1968 )
With Terumasa Hino Love Nature (Canyon/Love, 1971) Peace and Love (Canyon/Love, 1971) A Part (Canyon/Love, 1971) Double Rainbow (CBS/Sony, 1981)
With Takehiro Honda Jodo (Trio, 1972)
With Freddie Hubbard Hub-Tones (Blue Note, 1962) Here to Stay (Blue Note, 1962) The Body & the Soul (Impulse!, 1964) The Black Angel (Atlantic, 1970)
With Bobby Hutcherson Patterns (Blue Note, 1968)
With The Jazz Composer's Orchestra The Jazz Composer's Orchestra (JCOA, 1968)
With Elvin Jones Brother John (1982)
With Clifford Jordan Hello, Hank Jones (Eastworld, 1978)
With Duke Jordan Flight to Jordan (Blue Note, 1960)
With Oliver Lake Again and Again (Gramavision, 1991) Edge-ing (Black Saint, 1993)
With Yusef Lateef 1984 (Impulse!, 1965) Psychicemotus (Impulse!, 1965) A Flat, G Flat and C (Impulse!, 1966)
With Booker Little Booker Little and Friend (Bethlehem, 1961)
With Living Colour Time's Up (Epic, 1990)
With Herbie Mann Our Mann Flute (Atlantic, 1966) Impressions of the Middle East (Atlantic, 1966) A Mann & A Woman (Atlantic, 1966) with Tamiko Jones The Beat Goes On (Atlantic, 1967) The Wailing Dervishes (Atlantic, 1967) New Mann at Newport (Atlantic, 1967)
With Miya Masaoka Monk's Japanese Folk Song (Dizim, 1997)
With Cristina Mazza Where Are You? (Il Posto, 1989)
With Ken McIntyre Home (SteepleChase, 1975)
With Roscoe Mitchell In Walked Buckner (Delmark, 1999)
With Grachan Moncur III Shadows (Denon, 1977)
With James Moody Running The Gamut (Scepter, 1965)
With Lee Morgan Search For The New Land (Blue Note, 1964) Infinity (Blue Note, 1965 ) Caramba! (blue Note, 1968) Taru (Blue Note, 1968) Live in Baltimore 1968 (Fresh Sound Records, 1968) with Clifford Jordan The Last Session (Blue Note, 1971 )
With David Murray Morning Song (Black Saint, 1983)
With New York Art Quartet Mohawk (Fontana, 1965) 35th Reunion (DIW, 2000) Call It Art (Triple Point, 2013)
With Dave Pike It's Time for Dave Pike (Riverside, 1961)
With Sam Rivers Crystals (Verve, 1974)
With Max Roach Nommo (Victor, 1976) Live in Tokyo (Denon, 1977) The Loadstar (Horo, 1977) Live in Amsterdam (Baystate, 1977)
With Charlie Rouse We Paid Our Dues! (Epic, 1961)
With Hilton Ruiz Fantasia (Denon, 1977)
With Pharoah Sanders Karma (1969)
With Ellen May Shashoyan Song For My Father (New Ark, 1989)
With Archie Shepp Archie Shepp – Bill Dixon Quartet (1962) Four for Trane (Impulse!, 1964) The Magic of Ju-Ju (Impulse!, 1967) Ballads for Trane (Denon, 1977) Live in New York (Verve, 2001) with Roswell Rudd
With Wayne Shorter Night Dreamer (1964) JuJu (1964) Adam's Apple (1966)
With Sonny Simmons American Jungle (1997)
With Heiner Stadler Brains on Fire (Labor Records, 1966–73) Ecstasy (Labor, 1973) with Walter Steffens A Tribute to Monk and Bird (Tomato, 1978) with Thad Jones, George Adams, George Lewis, Stanley Cowell, and Lenny White Jazz Alchemy (Tomato, 1989)
With Sonny Stitt Moonlight in Vermont (Denon, 1977)
With Monnette Sudler Other Side of the Gemini (Hardly, 1988)
With Aki Takase Clapping Music (Enja, 1995)
With Horace Tapscott Aiee! The Phantom (Arabesque, 1996)
With John Tchicai and Andrew Cyrille Witch's Scream (TUM, 2006)
With Charles Tolliver Live at the Loosdrecht Jazz Festival (Strata-East, 1973) Impact (Strata-East, 1975) Emperor March: Live at the Blue Note (Half Note, 2008)
With Mickey Tucker Blues in Five Dimensions (SteepleChase, 1989)
With Edward Vesala Heavy Life (Leo, 1980)
With Mal Waldron Up Popped the Devil (Enja, 1973) Breaking New Ground (Baybridge 1983) Mal Waldron Plays Eric Satie (Baybridge, 1983) You and the Night and the Music (Paddle Wheel, 1983) The Git Go - Live at the Village Vanguard (Soul Note, 1986) The Seagulls of Kristiansund (Soul Note, 1986) The Super Quartet Live at Sweet Basil (Paddle Wheel, 1987) Crowd Scene (Soul Note, 1989) Where Are You? (Soul Note, 1989) My Dear Family (Evidence, 1993) Soul Eyes (BMG, 1997)
With Cedar Walton Soul Cycle (Prestige, 1969)
With Tyrone Washington Natural Essence (1967)
With Richard Williams New Horn in Town (Candid, 1960)
With Frank Wright Kevin, My Dear Son (Sun, 1979)
With Attila Zoller Gypsy Cry (Embryo Records, 1970)
References
External links