Tad Weed

Tad Weed (5 May 1957—22 August 2018) was an American jazz pianist, musician, arranger, and university professor.

Active from the mid-1980s to the mid-2010s, Weed was involved in 27 recording sessions. He worked/collaborated/toured with several leading jazz musicians including Paul Anka, Carmen McRae, Anita O'Day, Dick Berk, Kim Richmond, Vinny Golia, Chaka Khan, Stanley Turrentine, Betty Carter, and Wynton Marsalis, among others.

He taught music at many institutions (University of Toledo, University of Michigan, Bowling Green State University, University of Windsor.)

Tad Weed was born in Jackson, Michigan, on May 5, 1957, to LaVergne (Schneider) and Worth F. Weed. His mother was a big-band vocalist, and his father was a professional jazz organist in the Jackson area.

Growing up in a musical family, Weed got his start in music at a young age. When he was eight, his parents took him to a Louis Armstrong concert. After that, Weed began playing musical instruments—first the drums, then switching to piano a few years later.

After studying classical piano and composition at Central Michigan University, Weed moved to Los Angeles, California, in 1977. He continued his music education in Los Angeles and received his bachelor's and master's degrees in piano performance and jazz studies from Dick Grove's Grove School of Music.

Weed began his career playing at local bars and restaurants in Los Angeles. Soon, he landed a job with big band singer Anita O'Day. His big break came when he was hired by Carmen McRae. Weed did many live performances and also toured with McRae and O'Day.

In 1984, he played piano on Lynn Carey's jazz/rock/funk/soul album Good Times! (Big Blonde Records) with Jerry Peterson (alto + tenor saxophone), Darrell Leonard (arranger), Shelly Berger (bass), Joe Lala (percussion), and Chris Boardman (synthesizer).

From 1989 through the 1990s, Weed was the music director for Canadian singer Paul Anka. He was with Anka for eleven years and accompanied him on many of his national and international tours.

In 1988, Weed, Dick Berk, and Don Cunningham co-wrote "Ricochet Rico" which is available on Discovery Records' album Strings 'N' Swing "I Remember Bird". The same year, his piano was heard on the album Dick Berk & The Jazz Adoption Agency Featuring Nick Brignola And John Patitucci Music Of Rodgers & Hart. The album carries six songs composed by Richard Rodgers and lyricist Lorenz Hart featuring tenor saxophonist David Pozzi, trombonist Mike Fahn, and trumpeter Jeff Bunnell.

In 1989, Weed was with The Kim Richmond Ensemble and recorded the jazz album Looking In Looking Out with Ken Filiano (bass), Billy Mintz (drums), Wayne Peet (piano), John Gross (tenor saxophone), and Mike Fahn (trombone). The album was produced by Vinny Golia and mixed by Gary Denton.

In 1992, Weed released his solo album Soloing on Vinny Golia's Nine Winds Records. He was accompanied by bassist Ken Filiano and drummers Billy Mintz and Joe LaBarbera.

In 1994, Weed with trumpeter Rob Blakeslee's Quintet recorded Lifeline (Nine Winds Records). On April 27, 1996, he recorded Dante No Longer Repents with Vinny Golia Quintet at Jack Straw Studios Productions, Seattle, Washington. He played piano alongside trumpeter Rob Blakeslee, bassist Michael Bisio, and drummer Billy Mintz. Next, he was on Dick Berk's album One By One (Reservoir Records, 1996) alongside Phil Baker (bass), Dan Faehnle (guitar), Andy Martin (trombone), and Mike Fahn (valve trombone).

Weed returned to Michigan in 2000 and established himself as one of the top pianists and arrangers in Ann Arbor's jazz scene. He worked with the finest jazz musicians in Detroit and also taught in his Ypsilanti studio. He was the house pianist at bassist Ron Brooks' Bird of Paradise nightclub and performed widely across northwest Ohio and southeast Michigan.

In 2001, saxophonist Paul VornHagen and Weed recorded Heart (BOPO Records). Weed played piano and organ with bassists Kurt Krahnke and Nick Calandro (acoustic + electric bass); percussionist Jonathan Ovalle; drummers Randy Marsh and Pete Siers; and vibraphonist Cary Kocher.

In 2002, Weed formed a quartet named "Freedom Ensemble" with saxophonist Andrew Bishop, bassist Tim Flood, and drummer Pete Siers—all Michigan natives. They played monthly at Firefly Club, a jazz/blues club in downtown Ann Arbor.

In 2004, Weed played piano and directed music for Michigan native Shahida Nurullah's jazz album The Ruby And The Pearl (Alembic Arts). In the band were Robert Tye (acoustic guitar), Donald Mayberry (bass), Spider Webb (drums), Larry Nozero (clarinet and alto saxophone), and Mahindi Masai (percussion).

In 2010, Weed accompanied clarinetist Dave Bennett on his tribute album Clarinet Is King (Arbors Records). The 12-track album carries compositions by many famed jazz clarinetists and composers, including "Begin the Beguine" (Cole Porter), "Stranger on the Shore" (Acker Bilk), "Dizzy Spells" (Benny Goodman), "Wire Brush Stomp" (Gene Krupa), and "Mood Indigo" (Duke Ellington and Barney Bigard).

Over the years, Weed also worked and/or recorded with Jack Jones, Peter Soave, Charles Lloyd, Woody Herman, Mundell Lowe, Richie Cole, and Teddy Edwards. He also performed at Carnegie Hall in New York with the New York Pops Orchestra and Astor Piazzolla tangos with the Cleveland Pops Orchestra.

As a studio musician for Discovery Records in Los Angeles, Weed recorded, arranged, accompanied, and performed with such musicians as Chaka Khan, Al Cohn, Kenny Burrell, John Clayton, Bill Watrous, Shorty Rogers, Jerome Richardson, Bud Shank, Stanley Turrentine, Wycliffe Gordon, John Carter, Bobby Bradford, Betty Carter, Wynton Marsalis, Frank Morgan and David "Fathead" Newman.

Weed's last recording was saxophonist Gunnar Mossblad & CrossCurrents' album R.S.V.P. (Summit Records, 2015) with Norman Damschroder (bass), Olman Piedra (drums), and Jay Rinsen Weik (guitar).

In 2011, Weed joined the jazz studies faculty of the University of Toledo in Ohio, and taught jazz piano, arranging, and improvisation. He was a director of Vocalstra, the university's orchestra ensemble founded by Jon Hendricks, the celebrated jazz musician from Ohio and Distinguished Professor of Jazz Studies at the University of Toledo. He also served on the music faculty of the University of Michigan (adjunct professor); Bowling Green State University; Western Michigan University; and the University of Windsor.

Weed taught and conducted clinics in jazz and composition all the while performing, writing, and recording for his groups The Freedom Ensemble, The Dobbins, Krahnke, and Weed Trio.

Tad was married to his wife Marla. They had four children—Joshua, Jennifer, Angela, and Mark.

Weed died after a battle with cancer in Ypsilanti, Michigan, on August 22, 2018. He was 61.

• The Jazz Discography by Tom Lord