Primary Instrument: Drums
Percussionist Richie Barshay, most noted for his work with the Herbie Hancock Quartet, has established himself as a prominent musical voice of his generation and is regarded as “a player to watch” by JazzTimes magazine. On tour and on recordings, his eclectic resume so far includes Hancock, Chick Corea, Natalie Merchant, Lee Konitz, The Klezmatics, Fred Hersch, Kenny Werner, David Krakauer, Fred Wesley, Claudia Acuña and Pete Seeger among others. In 2004 he was named an American Musical Envoy by the U.S. State Department for outreach tours in Asia, South America, and Europe. Now based in New York City, Richie began playing Jazz and Afro-Carribean music during his youth and has expanded his focus to Indian rhythmic concepts and tabla, inspiring his 2007 recording debut Homework on Ayva Records. “Homework introduces a major rhythm voice on the rise” says Downbeat magazine, and The Guardian (UK) praises “the arrival of a major innovator who also knows how to have fun.”
