Reggie Workman has long been one of the most technically gifted of all bassists, a brilliant player whose versatile style fits into both hard bop and very avant-garde settings. He played piano, tuba, and euphonium early on but settled on bass in the mid-'50s. After working regularly with
Gigi Gryce (1958),
Red Garland, and
Roy Haynes, he was a member of
the John Coltrane Quartet for much of 1961, participating in several important recordings and even appearing with
Coltrane and
Eric Dolphy on a half-hour West German television show that is currently available on video (The Coltrane Legacy). After
Jimmy Garrison took his place with
Coltrane,
Workman became a member of
Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers (1962-1964) and was in the groups of
Yusef Lateef (1964-65),
Herbie Mann, and
Thelonious Monk (1967). He recorded frequently in the 1960s (including many Blue Note dates and
Archie Shepp's classic
Four for Trane).
Since that time,
Workman has been both an educator (serving on the faculty of music schools including the University of Michigan) and a working musician, and has played with numerous legendary jazz musicians including
Max Roach,
Art Farmer,
Mal Waldron,
David Murray,
Sam Rivers, and
Andrew Hill (
Rivers and
Hill joined
Workman for the 1993 session,
Summit Conference). In the 1980s,
Workman began leading his own group,
the Reggie Workman Ensemble. He also began a collaboration with pianist
Marilyn Crispell that lasted into the next decade (the two acclaimed musicians reunited for a festival performance in 2000). During the '90s,
Workman was not only active with his own ensemble, but also in
Trio Three, with
Andrew Cyrille and
Oliver Lake, and Reggie Workman's Grooveship and Extravaganza.
In recognition of
Reggie Workman's international performances and recordings spanning over 40 years, he was named a Living Legend by the African-American Historical and Cultural Museum in his hometown of Philadelphia; he is also a recipient of the Eubie Blake Award.
–
Scott Yanow & Joslyn Layne, Rovi