Reggie Workman is among the close community of jazz musicians who honed their musical imagination and technical skills in North Philadelphia during the mid-20th Century. Other “inspired circle” artists include McCoy Tyner, Shirley Scott, John Coltrane, Benny Golson, Lee Morgan, Hasaan Ibn Ali, and Sounds of the Circle lead artist, Odean Pope.

On April 3-4, 2019, Sounds of the Circle hosted “inspired circle” veteran Reggie Workman for interviews, a master class and other activities. This ever-prolific master of the double bass, composer and educator was born and raised, and started his far-reaching career in Philadelphia. Among the jazz legends with whom Workman performed and recorded are John Coltrane, Art Blakey, Yusef Lateef, Pharaoh Sanders, James Moody, Archie Sheep, David Murray, Thelonius Monk, Max Roach, Marilyn Crispell, Oliver Lake, Andrew Cyrille, and Cecil Taylor. His illustrious career in music education includes positions at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, Bennington College, University of Michigan, and New York’s New School.

At WRTI’s performance studio before a live audience, jazz broadcaster J. Michael Harrison interviewed Reggie and Odean about their remembrances of the personalities and locations of Philadelphia’s jazz scene in the mid-20th Century. Listen to segments of their exchange. A day after the WRTI interview, Reggie put an intergenerational group of Philly musicians through their paces in a master class held at Rittenhouse Soundworks in Germantown. Musicians rotated in and out of the rhythm and horn sections, while others observed closely, as Reggie emphasized the rhythmic and dynamic intricacies of a Wayne Shorter composition. Then Reggie put away the charts and challenged the group to create a group improvisation from a sung melodic line, dynamic cues, and a rhythmic structure. He urged them to find new sounds and qualities in their instruments. Check out some photos from the class.