Mike Reed, second from right, with People, Places & Things.

Mike Reed may not be a familiar musician to those of us outside of the Chicago area, but in the Windy City, he is a musical force. Not only is he a respected drummer/composer who has been playing in the city’s jazz scene since the mid-90s, he is also one of the region’s most prolific music presenters. Mounting over 150 shows a year, Reed directs and curates The Pitchfork Music Festival and the Umbrella Music Festival, among others.

“I see the extremes,” Reed said in a recent interview with DCist. “I put on shows in front of thousands of people where the acts are getting paid thousands of dollars, and then I see shows where I’m paying the artist $100 to play in front of 30 people.”

While he has a strong reputation as a festival producer, Reed’s heart lies in jazz, and his band, People, Places & Things, is his main vehicle of expression. The piano-less quartet features saxophonists Greg Ward and Tim Haldeman, along with Reed and bassist Jason Roebke. They will play the Backstage room at the Black Cat on Tuesday night, along with the D.C. Improvisers Collective.