Roger Glenn -

Roger Glenn is an American jazz-funk flutist and vibraphone player from NYC who released the 1976 album Reachin’ on Fantasy Records.

Background

Roger Glenn was born in New York City and grew up in Englewood, New Jersey. His father, trombonist and vibraphonist Tyree Glenn, worked with Cab Calloway and Duke Ellington. Tyree Glenn later joined the Louis Armstrong All Stars. His mother, Gloria Glenn, favored Latin music. Tyree Glenn taught his son marimba. Roger Glenn later adopted flute as his main instrument.

Glenn played in an Army band from 1966 to 1969 with saxophonist Grover Washington Jr. and drummer Billy Cobham. Pianist-composer Mary Lou Williams recorded Glenn on flute during the 1969 Music for Peace sessions. Glenn then recorded with Mongo Santamaria on the Cuban percussionist’s 1970/71 albums Mongo ’70, Mongo’s Way, and Mongo at Montreux. Trumpeter Donald Byrd hired Glenn for the 1973 Blue Note titles Black Byrd and Street Lady.

Glenn moved to San Francisco in the mid-Seventies and reconnected with producers Fonce and Larry Mizell, two former high-school bandmates. He played on 1975 Mizell-produced titles by Bobbi Humphrey (Fancy Dancer) and Johnny Hammond (Gears) in advance of his own album.

Reachin’

Roger Glenn released his debut album, Reachin’, in 1976 on Fantasy.

The album blends vibe-laden jazz-funk with Latin percussion over electric-keyboard arrangements, performed with guitarist Ray Obiedo, bassist Paul Jackson, drummer Gaylord Birch, keyboardists Larry Mizell and Mark Soskin, and percussionists Bill Summers, Eric Young (shekere), Baba Duru, and Moodi Peters (both bata). Pete Escovedo sings lead on “Rezo Chango.”

“Reachin’” rides a rolling cross-rhythm while the opening refrain trades bright lead phrases with clipped chord replies. “Rio” careens through a fast samba pattern with hard accents and quick lead turns. “Gloria” settles into a modal cadence with wider spacing around each solo entry. The middle titles tighten around short repeated cells, clipped figures, and steady pressure across the main instrumental core. “Rezo Chango” closes on a chant pattern as lead calls and background replies circle the title phrase.

A1. “Reachin’” (4:17) – Larry Mizell, Fonce Mizell, Rodney Mizell
A2. “Rio” (5:50) – Glenn, Obiedo, Soskin
A3. “Don’t Leave” (3:58) – Glenn, Larry Mizell
A4. “E.B.F.S.” (4:49) – Jackson, Glenn

B1. “Overtime” (3:55) – Glenn, Larry Mizell
B2. “Kick” (6:24) – Obiedo, Soskin, Sheila Escovedo, Dycus
B3. “Gloria” (5:35) – Glenn, Obiedo, Soskin
B4. “Rezo Chango” (3:12) – Pete Escovedo, Summers

Bruce Walford and Eddie Bill Harris recorded the January–March 1976 sessions at Fantasy Studios in Berkeley with assistant engineers Jackson Schwartz and Phil Kaffel. Larry and Fonce Mizell produced Reachin’ for Sky High Productions, which also accounted for Gambler’s Life, Stepping Into Tomorrow, and mid-Seventies albums by The Blackbyrds, Gary Bartz, and LTD.

Bruce Steinberg designed and photographed the album package with assistant designer Ellie Oberzil. The front cover shows black bird silhouettes across a blue-and-white sky-and-water image. In the back photo, Glenn looks over his shoulder in the cockpit of a plane at high altitude. Steinberg also designed 1976/77 covers for Eddie Henderson, Headhunters, John Lee & Gerry Brown, Mike Nock, Tower of Power, and Zbigniew Seifert.

Postlude

Amid his solo venture, Roger Glenn played on 1976 albums by Dizzy Gillespie and former It’s a Beautiful Day violinist David LaFlamme. He followed with credits on 1977–79 titles by Bill Summers, Pete & Sheila Escovedo, Peaches & Herb, and Con Funk Shun. In 1980, he commenced an ongoing stint behind vibraphonist Cal Tjader. After five quiet years, he surfaced on the 1989 Bobby Hutcherson disc Ambos Mundos.

In August 2025, Glenn returned with the Patois Records disc My Latin Heart, his first solo album in 49 years.

Discography: