Double-bass sage Rufus Reid, whose leaner and meaner years were spent with stars like Dexter Gordon, has been involved in music education [and selfeducation] for almost as long as he has been playing. “Composition has always intrigued me, given the great music I have performed with Bob Brookmeyer, Thad Jones and others,” he explains here, “so in 1999 I joined the BMI Composers Workshop.” The results, a beautiful suite for modified big band and dedicated to the late artist, sculptor and civilrights activist Elizabeth Catlett, are here for all to enjoy. The sensible tempos are rewarding, the solos are laidback and the sheer musicality of Reid's themes and linking riffs is a step or three above the norm. It's remarkable, for instance, how much grace and depth he gets by adding a single human voice to the top line in the instrumental ensembles. That kind of know-how comes only from experience. Solowise, the most effective contributions come from the trumpet section, particularly in rubato conversations with pianist Steve Allee. And some unusually lyrical passages of acoustic guitar from Vic Juris will be a revelation to those who know him only for his speaker-shredding post-Hendrix tantrums on Dave Liebman albums.