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| 17th Leader Release - Jeff Richman - Sizzle - Jimmy Haslip Jeff Richman's professional background spans over 35 years, his extensive knowledge and experience stems from composing original pieces, touring/performing on guitar, arranging, recording music in various genres, in addition to teaching in various academic settings of note. Richman's catalog has produced 15 solo albums which all were toured extensively throughout the U.S. and Internationally. As a student at Berklee College of Music, Richman studied privately with Pat Metheny, Mick Goodrick and William Levitt and was influenced by my many talented classmates: Mike Stern, Bill Frisell, Al Di Meola and Vinnie Colaiuta were among the vast list coming out of Berklee at that time. After graduating, he lived and performed in New York City, the greatest teacher of all, it was here that his own influences began to form, attending performances by renowned legends Miles Davis, Herbie Hancock, Chick Corea, Charlie Mingus, Ornette Coleman, Elvin Jones, Tony Williams, Charlie Haden, Joe Zawinul, Wayne Shorter, Jaco Pastorius, Bill Evans, Dizzy Gillespie, Keith Jarret, Gil Evans, Chet Baker, McCoy Tyner, Joe Pass, Cannonball Adderley and Jim Hall, it was these early influences that inspired Jeff and helped him to develop his own voice while striving to make his original compositions meaningful, purposeful, and with an honesty that can only come from the heart and the personal experiences of being in the trenches performing and honing ones skills and ideals, and what better trenches to be in than the New York scene. While living in New York City Jeff had a yearlong engagement with renowned Puerto Rican Conga player, Ray Barretto. He wrote four songs and played guitar solos on his album Can You Feel It in 1978. He later toured in the U.S. with Flora Purim and Airto Moreira and played in live venues with many well-known artists such as Tom Harrell, Chico Hamilton, Eumir Deodato, Blood Sweat and Tears, Willie Bobo and Gerry Mulligan. In 1979 Jeff moved to Los Angeles and toured over a few years with Ronnie Laws and Doc Severinsen's band. The LA scene provided further opportunity to play for and record with talented artists such as Ernie Watts, Harvey Mason, T Lavitz, John Klemmer, Alphonse Mouzon, Henry Mancini, Mark Isham, Robbie Krieger and Meshell Ndegeocello. Jeff wrote and produced hundreds of "Library Music" cuts in numerous genres which are played regularly on TV shows throughout the US and in foreign countries. Jeff has performed on countless studio sessions on a multitude of television and film projects, the most recent of which was under the direction of award-winning composer Jeff Beal for the film Appaloosa with actor Ed Harris. 2009 was a busy year for Richman who played concerts in Athens, Greece - Played with Billy Cobham at a festival in Austria, which also included concerts and clinic tours, twice in Scandinavia, in Bombay and India with Russell Ferrante, William Kennedy and Jimmy Haslip known for their long time careers with the renowned jazz group the Yellowjackets. Jeff Richman's first solo artist album Himalaya was released in 1986, since that time his active career has produced 15 solo albums. Richman is also a busy arranger and producer who was hired by Tone Center Records for 6 tribute CD projects, which included recordings by: Carlos Santana, Mahavishnu Orchestra, Steely Dan, Miles Davis, Jeff Beck and John Coltrane, it gave him the unique opportunity to work "hands-on" with other world class guitarists and musicians in every aspect of production. With the release of his 16th solo project HOTWIRE, in the spring/summer of 2015, this year is already proving to be a landmark year for Jeff Richman fans and the next generation of guitar and fusion enthusiasts. CD DESCRIPTION Jeff Richman's first solo artist album Himalaya was released in 1986, since that time his active career has produced 16 solo albums. Richman is also a busy arranger and producer who was hired by Tone Center Records for 6 tribute CD projects, which included recordings by: Carlos Santana, Mahavishnu Orchestra, Steely Dan, Miles Davis, Jeff Beck and John Coltrane, it gave him the unique opportunity to work "hands-on" with other world class guitarists and musicians in every aspect of production. With the release of his 17th solo project SIZZLE, in the Fall/Winter of 2016, on the heels of his wildly popular HOTWIRE (2015), which received vast critical acclaim and spent numerous weeks on the Top 40 Jazz Chart. SIZZLE joins together longtime collaborators, produced by Jimmy Haslip (bass) and underpinned by the solid chemistry of, Vinnie Colaiuta (drums), George Whitty (keys/programming), and Gergo Borlai (drums/programming), Richman is given a beautiful tapestry to weave colorfully improvisational lines and colorations. The offering does not stop there, augmented by a stellar guest line-up on a varied of tracks including: Jeff Beal (trumpet, flugelhorn), Taylor Eigsti (piano), Bob Mintzer (tenor sax), and Mitchell Forman (Fender Rhodes), fusionistas are already a clamor for Richman's next installment of his ever-growing discography. In a climate where the next release always needs to outdo the next, this year is already proving to be a landmark year for Jeff Richman fans and the next generation of guitar and fusion enthusiasts. Track Listing: Sizzle; Hangtown; Sweet; Vibe; Say It Isn't So; Hit Parade; Samaya; Oracle; Just 4U; Jimmy Palm. Personnel: Jeff Richman: guitar; Vinnie Colaiuta: drums; Jimmy Haslip: bass; Jeff Beal: trumpet; George Whitty: keys, programming; Taylor Eigsti: piano; Bob Mintzer: tenor saxophone; Gergo Borlai: drums, keyboards; Mitchell Forman: Fender Rhodes; Will Lee (bass). write your comments about the article :: © 2016 Jazz News :: home page |