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Rick DellaRatta
Rick DellaRatta Jazz Pianist, Vocalist Composer
Rick DellaRatta is now considered by many to be one of the finest Singer/Pianists performing today and one of only a handful of Jazz Artists who can make a successful musical presentation to a large audience without having to abandon the true art form of Jazz. Through his life long endeavor to help advance people to their highest potential through the understanding of Jazz as well as spreading peace worldwide through his "Jazz for Peace World Tour", Rick DellaRatta is considered to be an innovator and a visionary. The Rick DellaRatta Trio features Jazz greats Lenny White, Eddie Gomez & Rick DellaRatta.
His unique and original piano playing and composing has been compared in print to Chick Corea, Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter, Bill Evans, McCoy Tyner, Keith Jarrett, Joe Zawinul, Horace Silver, Oscar Peterson and Thelonious Monk while his signature vocal sound and style has been likened to Chet Baker, Billy Holiday, Joao Gilberto, Ivan Lins, Michael Franks and Antonio Carlos Jobim. Dr. Billy Taylor put Ricks impact in perspective when commenting on Ricks "Thought Provoking CD - he said: "Rick DellaRatta is one of the people who is taking Jazz to the next level".
RECORDINGS Rick's latest CD "Jazz for Peace" features Rick with some of the greatest names in Jazz along with the London Symphony Orchestra. Other cd's of Ricks include an intimate solo album entitled, "Alone Together"a holiday cd "Jazz at Christmas Time! " and a double cd that was recorded live in concert both in Fortaleza, Brazil and The Blue Note Jazz Club in NYC entitled "Live in Brazil & The Blue Note". DellaRatta switches gears to the classical genre with his symphonic composition "Permutata" which was recorded by the London Symphony Orchestra on the MMC label under the direction of Roger Briggs. "Thought Provoking," his CD released in June 1997 on Stella Records, features Eddie Gomez on bass, Dave Liebman on saxophone, and Lenny White on drums. Jazz Times noted that "DellaRatta displays his burgeoning talents ...featuring his youthful sounding vocals, energized keyboard skills and prowess as a composer." "Thought Provoking" follows "Take It or Leave It," DellaRatta's debut CD. With "his swinging piano style" and "sultry vocals," he "brings new life" to jazz standards and captivates with his own unique, avant-garde compositions. According to Cadence Magazine, Rick's debut CD makes "music that orbits between cool and boppish... with vocals that really capture a listener's attention." Also released in 1998 is a music video of the haunting single "Living Inside a Daydream," from the "Thought Provoking" CD.
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Rick DellaRatta Quintet: Jazz at Christmas Time
by C. Michael Bailey
...a bit of Holiday verse...
Pianist and vocalist Rick DellaRatta provides the Christmas season with a breezy collection of holiday favorites delivered with sincere urbanity. The highlight of the disc is the solo piano version of the Mahalia Jackson classic "Go Tell It On The Mountain." Here, better than anywhere else, does DellaRatta display his considerable talent. He digs deep into the blues of the song, uncovering its core of struggle and victory. "Greensleeves [What Child is This]" is taken ...
read moreRick DellaRatta Trio: Live In Brazil And At The Blue Note
by C. Michael Bailey
At The Holiday Inn Lounge. All music is fundamentally good, it is just that some music is better. This collection falls under the “good” category. This is a 2 CD live set of pianist / vocalist Rick DellaRatta and his trio, consisting of René Hart on bass and the late Denis Charles on drums with additional support from guitarist Dustan Galas and Walt Szymanski on Trumpet. The performances lack the intimacy of a small venue and are slightly self-indulgent in ...
read moreGrant Presentation Video Helps Jazz Artists & Causes Obtain Vital Funding!
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Rick DellaRatta
NEW YORK, NY - The Jazz for Peace Foundation Empowerment Grant Program rose from the ashes of the horrifying tragedy of 9/11 starting with a poem that was written witnessing those very events on a rooftop less than a quarter of a mile away from Ground Zero on that fateful morning. Since then they have set a Philanthropic Record that is sure to stand for many years to come by providing a Helpful Step Forward to over 850 Outstanding Causes ...
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Jazz Benefit Concert for Swim Strong and Aids Free Africa!
Source:
All About Jazz
New York, NY -- On Thursday, June 25, 2009 at 6:00 PM, New York-based and internationally acclaimed jazz pianist, vocalist and composer Rick DellaRatta, will perform a special benefit concert to raise funds for the Swim Strong Foundation and AIDSfreeAFRICA. The benefit will take place at Iguana NYC located at 240 W. 54th Street in New York City. To purchase advance tickets, online please visit theswimstrongfoundation.org and click on the jazz concert poster. Tickets will also be available at the ...
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Rick Dellaratta and Jazz for Peace Kick Off Their Summer/Spring Series with 2 Landmark Concerts in Africa!
Source:
All About Jazz
Kigali, Rwanda - On the weekend of May 23, 2009, New York-based and internationally acclaimed jazz pianist, vocalist and composer Rick DellaRatta, will perform two landmark concerts in Rwanda, a country in the heart of Africa that over 14 years ago was ravaged by a war that claimed close to a million lives. DellaRatta and his group Jazz for Peace will be feature some of the top Jazz musicians from New York. The band will consist of Rick DellaRatta on ...
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Rick Dellaratta and Jazz for Peace to Perform Special Benefit for Peacejam
Source:
All About Jazz
On Sunday, March 22, 2009 at 11:30AM, New York-based and internationally acclaimed jazz pianist, vocalist and composer Rick DellaRatta, will perform first Gala Concert Event to raise funds for our Jazz for Peace Mission. The benefit will take place at New York Historical Museum located at 170 Central Park West in Manhattan, NY. This event is part of an extensive world tour for Jazz for Peace. To purchase advance tickets online please visit jazzforpeace.org.
The New York Historical Museum will ...
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Huntsville, Alabama Proclaims First "Rick Dellaratta and Jazz for Peace Day"
Source:
All About Jazz
In partnership with the Smithsonian National Museum of American History in support of Jazz Appreciation Month, Mayor Loretta Spencer of Huntsville, Alabama officially proclaimed Saturday April 19, 2008 to be Rick DellaRatta and Jazz for Peace Day."
Citing Mr. DellaRatta's numerous awards as a Jazz Pianist, Vocalist and Composer, along with his extraordinary achievements of over 500 Benefit Concerts to help outstanding organizations across the country, his Education Series to bring music back into the schools and his Instrument Donation ...
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Huntsville, Alabama proclaims the first "Rick DellaRatta and Jazz for Peace Day"!
Source:
All About Jazz
In partnership with the Smithsonian National Museum of American History in support of Jazz Appreciation Month, Mayor Loretta Spencer of Huntsville, Alabama officially proclaimed Saturday April 19, 2008 to be Rick DellaRatta and Jazz for Peace Day".
Citing Mr. DellaRatta's numerous awards as a Jazz Pianist, Vocalist and Composer, along with his extraordinary achievements of over 500 Benefit Concerts to help outstanding organizations across the country, his Education Series to bring music back into the schools and his Instrument Donation ...
read more