While fresh snow fell on Thursday night, The Kurt Reeder ORGANization kept the Rose Bowl Tavern warm with a two-hour holiday set. The ensemble played classic Christmas tunes like “Frosty the Snowman,” “Baby, It’s Cold Outside” and “Winter Wonderland,” each delivered with a soulful jazz twist.
Kurt Reeder has built a career as a commercial keyboardist in central Illinois, performing across the area with several musical groups. He finds the month of December to be especially busy, with holiday events in full swing.
Playing beside Reeder were Beto Rodrigues on guitar, Reginald Lewis on saxophone, Sean Kutzko on percussion and Ian Shepherd on drums. Each musician watched the others closely as they played, responding effortlessly to small gestures and cues from Reeder.
In the world of jazz, improvisation is inevitable — but it was the group’s friendship and camaraderie that were most noticeable as the night went on. Subtle laughs were shared between the band members, and Reeder told loving jokes as he introduced each member to the audience.
“This line of work is one where I work with my friends,” Reeder said. “No matter what I do on stage, I’m always with people I love and whose company I’m thoroughly enjoying being around.”
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This sense of friendship is what makes the music feel so seamless. Like Reeder, Shepherd also believes that playing with his friends is a highlight of the experience. He described Reeder’s role as “directing traffic,” while the rest waited for the go-ahead.
“I love surrounding myself with people that are way better than me,” Shepherd said. “It makes you up your game.”
Audience members nodded along during each holiday tune, shouting encouragement after a particularly complex saxophone solo or intricate guitar section. Each instrument had its moment in the spotlight, sharing the stage equally.
Tony Funk, a longtime Champaign-Urbana music fan, had nothing but praise for the performance. Funk attends countless concerts in the area and doesn’t plan on stopping anytime soon.
“I’ve come to a lot of Kurt Reeder’s shows and events, and I’m a big fan of Ian Shepherd,” Funk said. “I’ve watched Ian play for the past 15-16 years. I’m just a live music junkie.”
After a brief intermission, The Kurt Reeder ORGANization played a second set featuring J’Lyn Hope on vocals. She opened with a soft, dreamy rendition of “Joy to the World,” while the ensemble backed her up.
Hope and Reeder later performed “Count Your Blessings (Instead of Sheep)” from the classic holiday film, “White Christmas.” As the rest of the band stepped off stage and allowed their rendition to ring out, the room quieted. They finished with a lively performance of “This Christmas” by Donny Hathaway to close out the night.
“The way the world is today and how we consume everything, live music is still this art form that is living and breathing and flourishing,” Shepherd said. “I mean, you can’t replace that.”
