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MP3 Reggie Codrington - Christmas With Pops
10 MP3 Songs in this album (37:44) !
Related styles: JAZZ: Contemporary Jazz, SPIRITUAL: Inspirational
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REGGIE CODRINGTON BIOGRAPHY
Reginald Eugine Codrington was born in Fayetteville, NC, the son of a bandleader and trumpet player. “I guess one would say, I was born into music,” he says. His father, Ray Codrington, played for such greats as Little Richard, Gladys Knight, and the late Jackie Wilson to mention a few. He remembers his father and his band practicing in the den. All of his little boy dreams were of music.
At age five, he learned to read music and the fundamentals of musicianship. However, it would be several years before he would play and develop his musical talents. Not because he didn’t desire to, but because he was born with Ataxic Cerebral Palsy, a chronic condition that affects muscle coordination and depth perception. Affected persons often have poor coordination and walk unsteadily with a wide based gait, placing their feet unusually far apart. Wanting to give him every chance at having a normal life, his parents agreed to have him undergo a series of surgeries. Reggie had nine surgeries by the age of 13. Muscles were alternately cut and transferred from his elbow, wrist, and right tricep to improve his finger dexterity. Additionally, muscles were cut from his leg to give him more mobility to walk.
Because of the cruel teasing from his peers, Reggie became an introvert. Music was his escape. When playing, he was heard not seen. Therefore, he felt accepted, instead of ridiculed by his peers. Though he was encouraged to join his junior high school band, it was his father who helped develop his skills, he learned improvisation, and other musical concepts. But mostly he learned to stay focused and to never give up on his dream of music success.
The real turning point came on his eighteenth birthday when his parents gave him a curved soprano saxophone. This instrument allowed him to use a neck strap for a more comfortable fit for his arm and finger dexterity and coordination. “Something magical happened, and I knew I had found my niche. I fell in love,” he recalls. After graduation, and with his new instrument, he started to develop his own personal style, and to truly grow as a musician.
Reggie studied Music at Howard University, and was inspired by the likes of Harold Vick, Wayne Shorter, John Coltrane, Miles Davis, Najee and the late Grover Washington. Receiving accolades from professors and friends lit a fire in his soul. Reggie left the university before earning his degree and decided to go with his passion to follow his lifelong dream. He had the raw talent and musical skills. All he needed was a record deal. However, this provided to be difficult since major record labels did not accept unsolicited music. He became discouraged, but never gave up. He then focused his attention on finding an independent label.
Finally in 1990, TBA Records signed him to a 3-CD deal. His first release, Never Let You Go, featured the song, Mellow Memories, and received airplay on ninety stations. But before making his second album, the record label went defunct. Three independent labels and three CD’s later, he remains an untapped commodity waiting to be heard. His four completed CD’s are: Enchanting, Expressions, C-Note, and Sunny Days. He has plans for a compilation project featuring the best of his music.
Reggie stays busy and continues to perfect his craft. His ultimate goal is to go on tour and share his music and his story of overcoming physical challenges even in the face of adversity. His vision is to tour the United States talking to young people and sharing his triumph over a debilitating disability, ridicule in his youth, and unsavory independent labels as he has traveled on his road to Jazz greatness and success. Through his faith in God and the love and support of his father, mother, and close friends, he will continue on his path to greatness.
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