Global education leads to unique sound
Multi-instrumentalist, jar-e, uses his world experiences to create unique sounds

Megan Davin | staff writer
mdavin@smcvt.edu

Jon Reid, also known as (jar-e), is a multi-instrumentalist, who has mastered piano, trumpet, guitar and upright bass. His latest record War Songs and the Muse blends the music he soaked up living in Mexico, Greece, Britain and Cuba with the jazz, hip-hop and rock he grew up with in Hampton Roads, Va.

Reid says he wrote the album with the help of Mexican, Russian, Polish and Korean immigrants who gave him feedback on what were then works-in-progress as he taught them English at schools in Brooklyn, N.Y. and Asheville, N.C.

Defining jar-e's sound

A bilingual, multi-instrumentalist, jar-e's sound celebrates the spontaneity of a muse that has led him across the world; according to the Web site of Exotic Records, the label which Reid is signed to. 

Multi-instrumentalist, jar-e combines his musical style with his global experiences. Photo courtesy of Exotic Records

Reid says he began his music career in Asheville when he was a student at Warren Wilson College. He was a Spanish major and became fluent after a spring break trip his freshman year to Mexico. It was after that small taste of being able to communicate that sparked the interest, he says.

“I have always played music since I was little. I have wanted to be a song-writer since I was 10,” Reid says.

Reid says he experiments with different combinations of musical styles which he says have not been heard before. He combines all the aspects of music which he loves, including Latin, jazz, hip-hop and blues, he says.

“I always tried to do things that avoid cliches,” Reid says.  

He says, the thought of creating his own genre of music is intimidating to think about. He feels his music has a similar vibe to Beck, an artist that has no rules when producing his music, Reid says.

According to Reid, the combination of all music influences his flow.

“I want to start my career being free,” Reid says. “Having your heart in all of it is key.”

When producing War Songs and the Muse, Reid had an idea in mind and then began producing everything from there, he says. Reid accomplished the framework and then created a sound-scape around the music by making his own sounds the foundation for the rhythm of the album. The song-writing begins as basic blueprints and then he plays with it until it is exciting, he says.

Reid says War Songs and the Muse is all about contradictions, from pain and beauty, to separation and togetherness. It is about in-between extremes, which is everything people encounter in life, he says.  

Building a career

The album has gotten local radio responses and is looking to expand the market, he says. Momentum over the album is still building and it takes time for all of the ripples to even out especially in a growing stage of a career, Reid says.

Reid is currently playing with a drummer, bass player, guitarist, and saxophone player, while he sings and plays keyboard.  

Jar-e created War Songs and the Muse by creating his own sounds and original drum beats. Photo courtesy of Exotic Records

"I can’t wait to record the next album and play shows as much as I can,” Reid says.

Keith Saunders, Exotic Records producer and vice president, says Reid first caught his attention in Asheville.

“The first song we heard was a song he still performs today called 'Rosary' which has a ska feeling. It also has a great energy and feeling to it,” Saunders says.

For Saunders, he knew that they had to keep their ears pointed towards jar-e and wait for his next recording to come out and then they began to work with him. They worked closely with Reid for his most recent album War Songs and the Muse which took about three years to produce.

“Jon is a very serious artist who holds his material close to his heart, and we wanted to see his vision all the way through with the luxury of no deadlines,” Saunders says. 

Exotic Records began in 2001 with Saunders and his wife, Meredith DiMenna-Saunders and their band The Saucers. They had created a label for their own band, but soon saw that they wanted to work with other artists who were close to their hearts, such as Exotic Records artist J DiMenna, who introduced them to Reid.

Producing the muse

“Producing the record was quite an unusual process, because Reid can create something out of anything that makes a sound,” Saunders says. “He can open kitchen cabinets and create sounds with whatever he finds inside.”

Reid and Saunders used vocal layering to create chords by singing different notes and placing them together to make the sounds. Some of the songs are six to eight layers deep. The layers were often recorded very quickly, and lots of time was spent editing and placing it together, Saunders says.

The most interesting part was the percussion on the record, Saunders says.   They created percussion sounds and then looped them back to the song. To create the bass drum sound they also placed a microphone under a couch and banged on the cushions. They used snapping, and clapping, and banging sticks together Saunders says.

“The song 'Face' has alot of percussion and we turned it into a tribute to the hip-hop, beat-driven and head-nodding world,” Saunders says.

Jar-e's sound combines jazz, rock hip-hop with a Latin vibe. Photo courtesy of Exotic Records

In the production process for Reid’s album, DiMenna-Saunders had the last listen.

“Jar-e is a sponge type of artist and soaks up whatever is around him,” DiMenna-Saunders says.

He appeals to people who like to dance, are adventurous, and optimistic. His music is upbeat and allows people to have a good time, but is also very sincere, DiMenna-Saunders says.  

"Jar-e is an extremely talented musician. While listening to his CD, you can tell he took a lot of time to perfectly craft every song. His voice is soothing, the rhythm is amazing and he sings in Spanish!" St. Michael's sophomore Jolie Frechette says.

While playing his music all over the world, his multi-instrumentation and bilingual abilities have allowed jar-e to form a style of his own. From world beat to gospel harmonies and horn-fueled soul, jar-e writes popish for a world audience, DiMenna-Saunders says.