Home » Jazz Musicians » Richard Cole

Richard Cole

Fans, critics and musicians place Richard Cole in the first rank of his generation's players. A nationally acclaimed talent, Richard is among the most in-demand musicians in the burgeoning jazz scene in the Pacific Northwest. Beside work with such jazz greats as Randy Brecker, Dave Holland, Adam Nussbaum, Julian Priester and John Fedchock, he has toured regularly with fusion star Dan Siegel, performed with r&b legends Gladys Knight, The Temptations and The Four Tops while also composing and performing his own music. Richard's music is clearly jazz, following forward from the intense traditions of the jazz masters, yet it is enriched by the many lessons learned from his wide range of musical experiences.

Richard cites numerous influences including the seminal jazz performances of John Coltrane and Joe Henderson. He studied music at Western Washington University and taught woodwinds, ensembles and improvisation at the prestigious Cornish School of Music in Seattle, Washington.

Richard can be heard in the Seattle area playing with the likes of John Bishop, John Hansen, Jeff Johnson and Bill Anschell. His latest album for the Origin label, The Forgotten, features modern jazz giants Randy Brecker, Joey Calderazzo, and Adam Nussbaum.

Tags

31
Live Review

John Coltrane Birthday Celebration: Harnessing The Coltrane Effect

Read "John Coltrane Birthday Celebration: Harnessing The Coltrane Effect" reviewed by Paul Rauch


Richard Cole Group Tula's Jazz Club Seattle WA September 23, 2016 The calendar read September 23, 2016, the 90th anniversary of the birth of John Coltrane, and as in many cities in America, and around the world, the music of this master innovator is being celebrated in performance, by modern jazz musicians who have been musically inspired by his courage, by his absence of compromise, by his relentless impatience, by his quest ...

344
Album Review

Richard Cole: Shade

Read "Shade" reviewed by John Barron


Shade, Saxophonist Richard Cole's third release for Origin Records, is a stellar production compiled from various sessions featuring trumpet legend Randy Brecker and a bevy of heavy hitters from the Pacific Northwest. The disc is chock-full of inspired solos, edgy compositions and inventive arranging.

Cole is an aggressive soloist who, much like his saxophone heroes John Coltrane and Joe Henderson, challenges the harmonic boundaries of each tune in search of new and unblemished ideas. The tenor saxophone is Cole's horn ...

Read more articles
"Cole shows he is still in the vanguard of hard-blowing, progressive tenors, with a softer side that emerges from time to time." —Dave Nathan, All Music Guide
Primary Instrument

Saxophone, tenor

Location

Seattle

Willing to teach

Advanced only

Music

Recordings: As Leader | As Sideperson

Shade

Origin Records
2007

buy

Inner Mission

Origin Records
0

buy

J & J

From: Inner Mission
By Richard Cole

A Shade of Joe

From: Shade
By Richard Cole

Videos

Similar

Get more of a good thing!

Our weekly newsletter highlights our top stories, our special offers, and upcoming jazz events near you.