Jazz arranging · Contemporary & Hybrid Jazz
KateReid
dates unavailable arranger · composer · orchestrator
Reid's arranging style features contemporary approaches informed by both jazz tradition and current developments, combining Australian…
- Predominant era
- Contemporary & Hybrid Jazz
- Lifespan
- dates unavailable
- Signature
- iridescent color
Bio · 27 words
Kate Reid is an Australian pianist, composer, and arranger who has worked in Australia and internationally. She studied music formally before establishing herself in Australia's jazz scene.
01
Musical style
Sound DNA
Five shared dimensions make the arranger’s musical priorities visible at a glance.
Iridescent
Instrumental color leads the design.
Balanced
Space and activity stay in balance.
Expansive
Wide spans define the orchestral frame.
Layered
Several musical planes coexist.
Suspended
Motion unfolds with patience.
02
Orchestration
At the
arranging desk
“Small Hours,” orchestrated in the style of Kate Reid. Hear the parts, follow the score, and examine the decisions inside each chord.
Original miniature
Small Hours
8 bars · C major · 4/4 Straight eighths
A wordless vocal melody is placed over a small piano-and-wind setting that leaves space around each phrase. This eight-bar setting uses a root-and-fifth two-beat bass beneath wordless choir.
Choose Play to hear the recorded ensemble.
The passage
Read what you hear
All parts at sounding pitch · middle C = C4 · eighth notes follow the selected feel. Select a bar to inspect or replay it.
Inside the ensemble
Listen by part
Combine Solo buttons to hear a voicing or a doubling. Mute removes a part from the mix.
Downloads include every part at concert pitch. MIDI includes the selected tempo and swing feel.
Bar 01 · I · tonic
Cmaj9
Choose Melody only, then add piano and clarinet to hear the vocal line framed by different attacks.
Sounding pitches
High to low · muted parts are dimmed · note releases can leave a rest between attacks.
| Part | Pitch | Chord role |
|---|
From the arranging bookshelf Sebesky · Nestico
This original Kate Reid study applies the books’ approach of examining voicings, registers and instrumental combinations. It illustrates one facet of the artist’s work in a reduced ensemble; it is not a transcription or a reproduction of a book example. The melody and eight-bar progression remain the same throughout the artist collection.
- Don Sebesky, The Contemporary Arranger: “Combining the Woodwinds,” printed pp. 69–70 (PDF pp. 78–79), compares balance at different registers. “Voicing the Strings,” beginning on printed p. 124 (PDF p. 133), discusses distributing string voices. “Combining Strings with Winds,” printed p. 155 (PDF p. 164), demonstrates how a flute changes the color and balance of a string line.
- Sammy Nestico, The Complete Arranger: “Close [Block] Voicing” and “Semi-Open Voicing,” printed p. 24 (PDF p. 26), contrast a compact moving saxophone block with a voice dropped an octave. The part scores and pitch inspector let you examine the spacing used in this artist’s study.
Each artist’s arrangement uses separately recorded parts, so Solo and Mute reveal the same performance heard in the full ensemble. Winds, piano and supported orchestral instruments use MuseSounds; upright bass uses Karoryfer recordings. Other colors retain the credited libraries below. Tempo changes preserve concert pitch.
Performances rendered with free MuseSounds and the libraries below. Recording credits and instrument coverage.
Recordings: VSCO 2 CE (CC0), MTG Solo Saxophones (CC BY 4.0), and Karoryfer Meatbass (CC0). Additional sounds: FluidR3 GM (CC BY 3.0). Full credits and sample changes.
03
Music first
Scores & orchestras
Switch recordings to compare how this arranger’s musical priorities shape each orchestral profile.
Australian Jazz Projects
Australian Jazz Projects
Reid's arrangements for Australian jazz ensembles showcase her gifts within Australia's thriving scene.
Listen forNotice how color shapes the orchestral profile.
Find listening example on YouTubeProfile derived from the arranger’s documented style and recording notes; exact instrumentation is not asserted.
International Collaborations
International Collaborations
Reid's work on international projects demonstrates that Australian arrangers compete successfully globally.
Listen forNotice how color shapes the orchestral profile.
Find listening example on YouTubeProfile derived from the arranger’s documented style and recording notes; exact instrumentation is not asserted.
Contemporary Jazz Development
Contemporary Jazz Development
Reid's contributions to contemporary jazz demonstrate the music's truly global nature.
Listen forNotice how color shapes the orchestral profile.
Find listening example on YouTubeProfile derived from the arranger’s documented style and recording notes; exact instrumentation is not asserted.
04
Start here
Three essential albums
One line each—enough context to choose the next listen.
- 01 — Australian Jazz ProjectsKate Reid Reid's arrangements for Australian jazz ensembles showcase her gifts within Australia's thriving scene.
- 02 — International CollaborationsKate Reid Reid's work on international projects demonstrates that Australian arrangers compete successfully globally.
- 03 — Contemporary Jazz DevelopmentKate Reid Reid's contributions to contemporary jazz demonstrate the music's truly global nature.
Voicing & register
At the section’s first attack (beat 1), the voicing is: Clarinet E5 (3); Strings C5 (root); Tenor sax G4 (5). Bass path: C2–G2.
Timbral combination
The background holds for the whole bar; the lead articulates against sustained harmony. Flute · answer rests here, leaving the lead color exposed.
Voice leading & harmony
The opening E is the third. G–A–G makes the sixth a brief neighbor before the melody lands on D, the ninth.