Julian Reid

Julian Davis Reid (M.Div., Candler School of Theology) is a child of God, the husband of Carmen and father of Lydia, a son and brother, and a Black artist-theologian of Chicago who uses words and music to invite us into the restful lives we were created to live. A musician, speaker, and writer, Julian is the founder of the ministry Notes of Rest®, which invites the weary into the rest of God practiced in the Bible and Black music. Julian also has musical releases out with several projects, including his own ensemble Circle of Trust, his jazz-electronic fusion group The JuJu Exchange (with Nico Segal & Nova Zaii), and his collaborative work with saxophonist Isaiah Collier. His most recent releases are Candid under his own name, The Almighty with Isaiah Collier, and JazzRx with The JuJu Exchange. Julian has performed at the Montreal Jazz Fest, The Cleveland Orchestra’s Severance Hall, Lollapalooza, and the Berlin Jazz Fest, and he has worked or performed with Chance the Rapper, Jamila Woods, Tank and the Bangas, Derrick Hodge, Andrew Bird, Jennifer Hudson, and Abiodun Oyewole from The Last Poets. He is a Fellow of Theological Education Between the Times and consults with the boutique consultancy Fearless Dialogues. Julian writes about faith, music, Blackness, and rest on his Substack “The Notes of Rest Fellowship,” and his work has been covered in Forbes, Sojourners, Billboard, and Downbeat.