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Tim Richards
Tim Richards was born in London and was drawn to music at an early age, his first encounter with a piano being at the age of 8 in a dentist’s waiting room. He studied classical piano with the renowned Carola Grindea until the age of 14, when he began attempting to teach himself jazz and blues after seeing Thelonious Monk on TV.
Tim’s seminal modern jazz group SPIRIT LEVEL was formed in Bristol in 1979, a quintet with saxophonist Paul Dunmall and trumpeter Dave Holdsworth, and released seven albums between 1979 and 1999. After appearing at the 1985 Vienne jazz festival on the same bill as Miles Davis, they teamed up with US trumpeter Jack Walrath (ex-Mingus) for a series of UK and European dates, recording the acclaimed 'Killer Bunnies' album (Spotlite). In 1989 Jerry Underwood replaced Paul Dunmall and the band continued touring throughout the 90s, performing at jazz clubs and festivals in almost every European country, with appearances in double bills opposite such names as McCoy Tyner, Horace Silver, Joe Zawinul and Joe Henderson. They were nominated 'Best Small Group' in the 1995 British Jazz Awards.
In 1999 Tim expanded the group to a nine-piece, renaming it GREAT SPIRIT and recruiting some of Britain's most dynamic jazz musicians, including Tony Kofi, Gilad Atzmon, Denys Baptiste, Dick Pearce and Roger Beajolais, who all appear on the bands first CD 'Suite for The Shed', released on the 33 Records label back to back with a Best of Spirit Level compilation (33Jazz051). The Suite is a 60-minute piece in seven sections, commissioned in 1999 by Yorkshire venue The Shed, premiered on the band's first UK tour and broadcast on BBC Radio 3 the same year.
GREAT SPIRIT went on to tour the UK several times, most recently in 2006 with a grant from the PRS Foundation, taking in appearances at the Brecon, Cork, Manchester, London and Scarborough jazz festivals (amongst others) and featuring a cross-section of Britain’s most talented musicians including Peter King, Jason Yarde, Ed Jones, Chris Biscoe and Seb Rochford. Their second CD 'Epistrophy' (33Jazz120) received exceptional reviews (see below).
Tim's work also includes compositions for non-jazz ensembles, beginning with 'Timetrap', a commission for piano. violin and cello first performed Tryptich Piano Trio in 1998. More recently he studied at Trinity College of Music with Stephen Montague and Deirdre Gribbin, receiving his MMus in Composition in 2008 and writing 'Tangletalk' for Consortium5 Recorder Consort (2007) and 'Escape Velocity' for the Interference Trio (2009). His most recent jazz commission is the 25-minute 'Shamanism Suite' for the Gloucester Youth Jazz Orchestra, which he conducted at the 2009 Cheltenham International Jazz Festival. In 2011 he was commissioned by pianist Kate Ryder to compose 'Syzygy' for her collection of vintage toy pianos and looper pedal, which was first performed at the Royal Festival Hall, London, in May 2011.
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Take Five With Tim Richards
by Tim Richards
Meet Tim Richards: Tim's first encounter with a piano was at the age of eight, in a dentist's waiting room. After classical piano lessons he taught himself jazz and blues from the age of 14, after seeing Thelonious Monk on TV.Since forming the long-lived modern jazz quartet Spirit Level in Bristol in 1979, he has performed his compositions at jazz clubs and festivals in almost every European country. Tim expanded Spirit Level to a nine-piece in ...
read moreTim Richards' Great Spirit: Epistrophy
by Chris May
Tim Richards' current band, the nine-piece Great Spirit, continues to explore much the same territory as its predecessor Spirit Level, which Richards disbanded in 1999, after 20 years and seven albums, presumably feeling the need to refresh the brand." Muscular hard bop laced with a touch of R&B (as in Joe Liggins & The Honeydrippers rather than Ashanti) is at the base of the mix, with added infusions of in your face big band rock-outs, a touch of electrified funk ...
read moreGREAT SPIRIT:
"Jazz supergroup whose passion proves inspirational...
Not a dull moment from beginning to end."
OBSERVER MUSIC MONTHLY
"Richards' arrangements are terrific, and the choice of
material is just as good... A landmark
achievement in a long career."
John Fordham - THE GUARDIAN
"Everyone who reads this magazine should buy this
album it's British jazz at its best."
4 stars (an outstanding release).
Stuart Nicholson - JAZZWISE
TIM RICHARDS TRIO:
"Tim Richards... moves with impressive confidence from
boiling Latin rhythms to bebop, ballads and even a tinge of
gospel, while still
retaining his own recognisable
style.”
Dave Gelly - THE OBSERVER
Primary Instrument
Piano
Location
London
Willing to teach
Intermediate to advanced
Credentials/Background
Private piano lessons (blues, jazz, improvisation,
composition) since 1980.
Group evening classes at Goldsmiths (University of London
since 1990.
Jazz tutor at Morley College, London since 1997.
Teaching qualification: GDMTA (Graduate Diploma in Music
Teaching to Adults), Goldsmiths, 2006.
Also MMus in Composition, Trinity College of Music, London
2006-8.
Clinic/Workshop Information
Workshops for jazz and blues pianists, intermediate -
advanced.
Director of 'Premises Jazz Piano Summer School' at
Premises Studios, Hackney, London since 1997 (annual
course - 5 days in August).
Tutor on 'ABRSM Jazz Piano Syllabus' (short course for
piano teachers) at The City Lit, London (annual course - 4
Sundays in November).
Occasional tutor on ABRSM and other ensemble
courses for all instruments, including 'Let's Teach Jazz'
weekends.
Short weekend courses for jazz pianists - professional
bassist and drummer provided.
Photos
Music
Shapeshifting
From: ShapeshiftingBy Tim Richards