Anthology

By David Moye

Ever have a teacher that affected your life?

For Anthology owner Howard Berkson, the teacher that had a huge influence was a brilliant bass player and music teacher named Rufus Reid.

Basically, Berkson was, like many high school students, a little lost, but Mr. Reid showed a little faith in him and it eventually paid off dividends.

Rufus Reid

Reid plays Anthology November 9 and it is fair to say that without him, Anthology wouldn’t exist.

How so?

Well, read on, while you do, think of that special teacher who touched you in a special way (unless you went to Helix High like I did — that’s a whole ‘nother thing I’d rather not get into).

ANTHOLOGY: How did Rufus Reid help inspire Anthology?

HOWARD BERKSON: “My senior year of high school in Chicago, my high school jazz
ensemble was invited to play at Northern Illinois University, which had a great
music and jazz program.

My high school music director, Roger Mills, introduced me to Rufus Reid who was on sabbatical at Northern Illinois.

ANTHOLOGY: Can you give a little perspective on Reid and his importance to both jazz and music education?

HB: Sure. In the jazz world, Rufus had the leading instructional book on playing jazz bass called “The Evolving Bassist.” He was also one of the main session guys in the jazz world. He was a big deal in the 70s, and trained a lot of the great bass players over the years. He now resides in New York teaching and playing around the world.

ANTHOLOGY: How did you meet him?

HB: After our concert, Rufus asked if I wanted to audition for the music school. I had no idea where I was going to college at the time (or what I wanted to do with my life at the ripe old age of 17), so I, of course, was flattered and said yes.

ANTHOLOGY: So he was your teacher?

HB: Well, I passed the audition later that year, entered the music school in 1976, and realizing I was not as good as I thought I was after the first couple years, transferred to the business school at Indiana University in 1978.

I followed that up with law school, practiced law for awhile, followed by real estate development, and now back with my first love, music-and having created my dream of Anthology — an internationally acclaimed, world class music venue.

ANTHOLOGY: So he wasn’t your teacher?

HB: The point is, he’s where the journey began. Rufus gave me the opportunity to pursue and appreciate my music, and jazz, particularly on a different level.

Rufus left as I started my first year at Northern, and went back to teach in New York.

ANTHOLOGY: How did you hook up with him after all this time.

HB: Well, I hadn’t seen or spoken to him in 33 years until I saw him on a poster in New York last year featuring his quartet at Carnegie Hall.

I tracked him down and called him. He faintly remembered me. We’ve befriended each
other since, talk frequently, and I had him come out to play Anthology last year, and now, he’s scheduled to play November 9 at Anthology.

ANTHOLOGY: How did he inspire by Anthology?

HB: Had I not had the random meeting with Rufus, I can honestly say that my draw to the world of jazz might not have been as deep as it is today, as well as my deep compassion for all professional musicians who train so hard and have such difficult lives at time trying to be heard and making ends meet.

They deserve so much of our respect. They fill our souls. Everyone has a deep appreciation of some musician or type of music that puts them in a great feeling, a good mood and creates lasting memories.

Who knows whether I would have had the same bug to create a world class venue for jazz musicians and all artists at Anthology without him drawing me into music school?

Those couple years there really made me appreciate music and musicians in a totally different way than I would have doing something else in college. My desire to build a great room for musicians continued and flourished at Northern and later at Indiana. Rufus was one of the first angels in my life that gave me the thoughts to do something in the world of music someday — even though my calling might not have been as a professional musician.

ANTHOLOGY: How does he feel about you creating a club rather than becoming a musician?

HB: I once asked him if he was disappointed that I didn’t go into music professionally and he said, “No, you found your own way.”

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WHAT: Rufus Reid “Out Front” Trio
WHEN: Tuesday, November 9th, 2010
TICKETS: $7 – $35 BUY TICKETS
MORE INFO: Artist Profile