Tomeka Reid

About

Tomeka Reid (born 1977) is a Chicago-based cellist, composer, and improviser who has become one of the most distinctive voices in contemporary jazz. Trained in the Western classical tradition, she found her footing in Chicago's AACM scene and has since recorded and performed with Anthony Braxton, Roscoe Mitchell, and the Art Ensemble of Chicago, among many others. She leads the Tomeka Reid Quartet - with Mary Halvorson, Jason Roebke, and Tomas Fujiwara - and co-leads the string trio Hear in Now. In 2022 she was awarded a MacArthur Fellowship, and she founded the annual Chicago Jazz String Summit in 2013.

2022

MacArthur Fellowship awarded

2×

DownBeat critics poll wins (Miscellaneous Instrument category)

12+

Chicago Jazz String Summit editions founded and run

Quartet studio albums released

What's new

2026-02
The Tomeka Reid Quartet released their fourth album, 'dance! skip! hop!', on Out of Your Head Records in February 2026.
2026-01
A new trio album with Craig Taborn and Ches Smith was released on January 16, 2026.
2025-12
The Tomeka Reid Quartet toured Japan in December 2025, performing in Nagoya, Tokyo, Kobe, Okayama, Yame, and Fukuoka.
2025-06
A new album with Mats Gustafsson, Ken Vandermark, and Chad Taylor was released on June 10, 2025.
2024-04
The Tomeka Reid Quartet released their third album, '3+3', on Cuneiform Records in April 2024, to widespread critical acclaim.