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Mike Richmond
Initially a guitar player, Richmond was inspired by a Bill Haley and the Comets show that he attended with his parents in the mid-'50s. He switched to the bass before joining his junior high orchestra.
Richmond's understanding of world music developed at an early age. His mother frequently played Middle Eastern records in the family home. His interests in Indian music were sparked by the soundtrack of the late-'40s television series Ramar of the Jungle and the Beatles' involvement with Indian music.
Richmond has been involved in some of jazz's most impressive projects. He participated in the Miles Davis and Quincy Jones-collaborative concert in Montreux, Switzerland, which became Davis' final performance. He subsequently replaced Charles Mingus in the Mingus Dynasty.
He received a Teacher of the Year award in 1994 for his teaching at New York University. His bass method book Modern Walking Bass Technique (Ped Xing Music) is used in over 300 universities and school systems internationally.
Richmond has won Grammy Awards with Miles and the Philadelphia Orchestra. He has been a featured soloist with the Bratislava Philharmonic Orchestra, the Cologne Radio Philharmonic Orchestra, the Cologne Radio Big Band, and the Hamburg State Opera. He represented the United States as a guest lecturer at the "International Symposium On Jazz Pedagogy" (sponsored by the French Cultural Ministry).
Mike Richmond has performed with Miles Davis, Stan Getz, Dizzy Gillespie, Horace Silver, Ravi Shankar, Elvin Jones, Joe Henderson, Jack DeJohnette, Lee Konitz, Gil Evans, Pat Metheny, Woody Herman, Hubert Laws, Thad Jones & Mel Lewis, Kenny Wheeler, Art Farmer, Benny Golson, Chet Baker, Sonny Stitt, Milt Jackson, Roland Kirk, Archie Shepp, Bobby Timmons, Roland Hanna, Tommy Flanagan, Jimmy Knepper, Clarke Terry, Kenny Barron, Phil Woods, Toots Thielmans, Chico Hamilton, Buddy DeFranco, Don Cheery, John Abercrombie, John Scofield, Les Paul, Randy Brecker, Michael Brecker, Billy Hart, Tom Harrell, Dave Liebman, Johnny Griffin, Bob Berg, Bob Brookmeyer, Henry Mancini, Les Paul, Astrud Gilberto, Michel Legrande, Quincy Jones, etc.
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Atlantico: A Stovepipe Hat Made From Silk
by Mark Sullivan
This album by the European/American quartet Atlantico co-led by French jazz pianist Sebastien Paindestre and U.S. reed and woodwind player Dave Schroeder completes the band's planned triptych, following New Easter Island (La Fabrica'son, 2019). For this sequel they are joined by acoustic bassist Mike Richmond (replacing Martin Wind) and drummer John Hadfield (replacing Billy Drummond). Tenor saxophonist Billy Drewes (who had played on one track on the last outing) guests on four tracks, expanding the group to a quintet.
read moreMarty Elkins: 'Tis Autumn
by C. Michael Bailey
There exists a group of jazz musicians dedicated to pre-bebop jazz who have traditionally populated the catalogs of the Nagel-Heyer and Arbors record labels. These musicians include Herb Pomeroy, Max Kaminsky, Randy Sandke, Harry Allen, and Dave McKenna. Central to this group is vocalist Marty Elkins who, while in college, discovered the recordings of Ella Fitzgerald, Ellis Larkins, Bessie Smith, and Billie Holiday's Lady in Satin (Columbia, 1959), falling in love with the period and its repertoire. Elkins moved from ...
read moreMarty Elkins & Mike Richmond: 'Tis Autumn
by Dan Bilawsky
Vocals, bass and Golden Age jazz standards. That's all that's here and it's all that's needed. Working their way through ten classics penned between 1926 and 1947, vocalist Marty Elkins and bassist Mike Richmond get right to the heart of jazz history. Their music has an easy draw to it, but there's absolutely no drama behind that magnetism--no too-clever-by-half rewrites, outside antics or fancying of futurism in interpretation(s). Grounded with a sense of respect for the material, this duo delights ...
read moreJohn Clark: I Will
by Glenn Astarita
French hornist John Clark along with his venerable band-mates go straight to the heart with their expressive and altogether grand rendition of Coltrane’s hypnotically melodic, “India”. Bright, rousing horn charts, and fluent phrasing by Clark get things off to a rather rapid and somewhat boisterous start! Here, the pre-eminent french hornist and his fine cast including, drummer Bruce Ditmas, saxophonists Alex Foster, Chris Hunter and others assist Clark in compiling this outstanding production consisting of jazz standards and Clark originals. ...
read moreJohn Clark: I Will
by Joel Roberts
The French horn is not the first instrument that comes to mind when one thinks of jazz. In modern jazz history, there have been only a handful of musicians -- David Amram, Julius Watkins, Gunther Schuller -- who have achieved any acclaim on the instrument. John Clark is another. A veteran of the progressive big bands of Gil Evans, Carla Bley, and McCoy Tyner, and a current member of the Carnegie Hall Jazz Band, Clark is probably the most in-demand ...
read moreCelebrating Time Out: Mike Richmond on Eugene Wright
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Jazz Online By Joseph Vella
2009, Dave Brubeck's musical masterpiece Time Out turned 50 and on behalf of Legacy Recordings, I produced a podcast series celebrating this timeless work. Along with interviewing Dave Brubeck himself about the album, I also interviewed three additional musicians saxophonist David Sanborn, bassist Mike Richmond and drummer Bill Bruford to discuss the influential work of Time Out band members, Paul Desmond, Eugene Wright and Joe Morello. For reasons beyond my scope, this series was never released. Featured on this episode ...
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