Charlie Rees
saxophonist | composer/arranger | journalist
Charlie Rees is a British saxophonist and composer-arranger based in Southwest Germany. A graduate of the Royal Academy of Music, his broad range of skills have seen him build an impressive resume in his young career so far. He has performed alongside internationally renowned artists Richie Beirach, Adam Nussbaum, Alex Sipiagin, Jeff Williams, and the Sirius String Quartet. He regularly collaborates with Russian pianist Regina Litvinova, performing as a duo and in other configurations, and describes his playing as “heavily influenced” by John Coltrane and the post-Coltrane generation of saxophonists.
In addition to his feats as a player, Charlie is an experienced arranger working in multiple genres. He contributed string arrangements to Beverley Craven, Judie Tzuke, and Julia Fordham’s nationwide tour, Woman to Woman, in 2018/2019, and his big band arrangements were performed frequently by the London Jazz Orchestra between 2022 and 2024. More recently, he was named the winner of the 2025 Eddie Harvey Jazz Arranger Award by the Worshipful Company of Musicians. Upcoming projects include the release of Hidden Vision by Martin Speake’s newly formed big band, an album featuring Charlie’s arrangements of Speake’s compositions.
He is also well regarded within the jazz community for his work in music journalism. He has contributed over 100 articles to UKJazz News since 2021 as the publication’s Assistant Editor. Notable work includes an acclaimed five-part series on the life of saxophonist Steve Grossman, a three-part series in memory of his late mentor Richie Beirach, as well as interviews with Chuck Israels, Christian McBride, Bob Mintzer and more.
Read Charlie's series on Steve Grossman
"Charlie’s series of written pieces on the music and the life of Steve Grossman are not just superbly researched, they also show a maturity, sensitivity and fine judgment when dealing with the saxophonist's complex personality."
Sebastian Scotney
Founder & Editor of London Jazz News
Among the post-Coltrane generation of saxophonists, Steve Grossman is regarded by many as having had the greatest raw talent. He set the saxophone world on fire when he burst onto the scene with Miles Davis in the late 60s, at only 18 years of age, then built on his reputation with the Elvin Jones Quartet in the early 70s. By the time his debut recording, Some Shapes to Come, released in 1973, his future looked bright as an emerging tenor heavyweight. But this was ultimately not to be, as he developed a pernicious drug habit that severely hampered his artistic development. He released a handful of quality recordings over the ensuing years and played on many great sessions as a sideman, but the output was inconsistent at best.
Though he lived to be 69, passing away in 2020, it is not hard to see how Steve Grossman has become an obscure name to younger generations, overshadowed by similarly talented and far more driven contemporaries like Michael Brecker and Dave Liebman. Most jazz historians pay little attention to his place as an innovator on the instrument (though Mark Stryker’s obituary is highly recommended), a reality for which he largely has himself to blame. Discussing Steve Grossman is a five-part interview series that aims to correct those aforementioned oversights and help to rebuild the tarnished legacy of his life and music.
Discussing Steve Grossman (1): Interview with Richie Beirach
“I remember him at jam sessions all over Manhattan, especially in Lieb’s loft on 19th Street. We played a lot of stuff together: A lot of free music, a lot of improvised music, some tunes. He had an amazing sound on tenor. He was ahead of everyone, I must say. It was him, Michael Brecker, Lieb, Bob Mintzer, Bob Berg… those were the guys, and he was the best one. I mean, best is a horrible word, but he was the most advanced and the most… he just had that sound! It was Sonny and Trane. Grossman was just ahead of us all. He was getting his own sound, his own way of playing.”
Read the Full Article
