Pianist Eric Reed pays tribute to Art Blakey on his debut album, Soldier's Hymn.

The prodigious piano star Eric Reed is best known for his work in the Wynton Marsalis Band. He was only twenty years old at the time of this recording, his first as a leader.

Throughout 'Soldier's Hymn,' we are taken by Reed through regions of this music's richness into which younger musicians venture with tragic irregularity. Back to the spirituals, -in a conscious not implicit sense. Back to stride piano and the close harmony, crescendo drive swing of Oscar Peterson and Ray Bryant . Back to swing era, blues and moods indigo.

The album is dedicated to Art Blakey, who was a main source of inspiration to Reed. "The power that he played with and his whole demeanor on stage is what made me really want to play. He just swung all the time. Even now, when I look for drummers, I look for them to have some of the fire that Blakey had," says Reed.