Cory Reese Spreads Christmas Cheer
By Robin Heirtzler, Managing Editor,
Hurricane Valley Journal

Cory Reese didn't begin playing the piano until the age of 18. At 21 he began writing his own music. Five years later he has four CDs on the market with rave reviews from all who've listened to them.

His newest CD, "Witness," is a stunning arrangement of beloved hymns and original compositions. "Angel Eyes" and "Looking In" make their debut on the CD, with such feeling that it's hard to imagine you've never heard the songs before. The last song on the CD is an arrangement of Kenneth Cope's "Face To Face" sung by Sam Payne.

Reese began teaching himself to play the piano after listening to music by pianist David Lanz. Even though he could not read sheet music, he would listen to the music and pick it out on the keys until he had it all figured out. He then moved on to hymns and other pieces, creating new arrangements for the existing songs. Just a few years later, he started on his own compositions. The problem was, Reese still didn't read music.

To overcome the obstacle, Reese recorded himself each time he came up with a tune he liked. He'd add to it and add to it until he had the finished song. After creating 12 songs that way, he decided to put them all on a CD.

"My goal with the first one was if I break even, then I'll be happy," said Reese. "It kind of took off, and I had to keep printing more CDs, and it just went from there."
Though Reese's first CD, "Moment of Peace" took off, it also required time. He had to have patience, and he had to create publicity. Another performer told him one day, "You've got to build the foundation first. You've got to be out playing at places, getting mailing lists and sell lots of CDs yourself before a record label or distributor is going to be interested in what you want to do."

"I didn't know what to do, so I took his advice and just started playing at places and developed a name for myself," said Reese. "That's how it started, and it just sort of went from there. I think the first two CDs I just promoted on my own."

Reese's name became known and his music quickly became a favorite across southern Utah. The CDs began to sell so fast, he had to keep printing more. Unable to keep up with the demand, he signed with a distributor who placed the CDs in stores for him. He went out and performed to make a name for himself, printed the CDs and let the distributor worry about the stores.

Several years and four CDs later, Reese has a new distributor, Granite Distribution. He continues to play his music at community functions all over southern Utah and remains a favorite.

When asked what he enjoys most about music, Reese replied, "I think it's the creative part of it, where it's an outlet so that when I'm stressed out or when I have something that's going on, I can just sit down and write music. It's a creative outlet. Probably the most rewarding part is just seeing the response from other people, having other people say that they like the music."

"People come up to me and say, 'Wow, your music really touched me.' That's the rewarding part of it, hearing that my music has an effect on them," he said. Reese now plays several times each week during the Christmas season. He plays at the Dickens Festival, private concerts and firesides to name a few. He performs several times throughout the year.

With four CDs the question was raised if they've changed much over the years. Reese replied, "This one is different because I think I know more now about music and just different techniques and styles than in my first one, I didn't know….I know more about the recording process, so I can get the sound that I want and get the song to turn out like I want. The difference between 'Witness' and 'Moment of Peace' is huge. They all have their own personality I guess."

Reese's first two CDs were entirely original compositions. His third was a Christmas album, and the last is a combination of arrangements of other works and his own music. One, "Angel Eyes" is written for his daughter Danica. "My wife always sings 'You Are My Sunshine' so I wanted to write that song into it. So if you listen close you'll hear 'You Are My Sunshine' in there," he explained.

Described as "warm, thoughtful and reflective" by Solo Piano Publications, Reese's music is definitely worth the time to listen to.