Latest CD - Twelve by Three - 33Jazz072

"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. He also understands the art of choosing a good programme, alternating standards like Billy Strayhorn's "Isfahan" and Horace Silver's "Safari" with a few of his own pieces. The cohesion that comes from playing together regularly makes this an impressive band." Dave Gelly THE OBSERVER

To view Twelve by Three track listing and press reviews please click here   For hi-res versions of photos on this page, click the red PHOTOS button

PRESS RELEASE March 2003

This month jazz pianist Tim Richards releases his second trio CD on 33 Records, with the new line-up of Dominic Howles (bass) and Matt Home (drums). The CD was recorded in the studio during the group's UK tour in 2002 and features the trio in fine form on a fascinating selection of numbers by the likes of Gene Harris, Horace Silver, Billy Taylor and Abdullah Ibrahim, plus a couple of Richards originals.
	"Richards' confident, relaxed playing distils the best of the piano masters of the past... fresh and exciting... genuine jazz magic... a model of suppleness and lyricism..." City Life Manchester The intimate nature of the trio gives Tim a chance to explore his roots in blues, bebop and hard-bop. "The Tim Richards Trio left us in no doubt that the blues is not only the soul but the testosterone in the central thrust of jazz ancient to modern." Jazz Review Magazine
The three musicians display an impressive cohesion in settings that include hard swinging blues and bebop, lyrical ballads (When Sunny Gets Blue), the Afro-Cuban flavours of Dizzy Gillespie's Manteca and the lilting rhythms of Ahmad Jamal's Poinciana. "Strong melodic lines, muscular rhythms, ear-catching harmonies... a keen musical intellect and a swashbuckling sense of adventure..." The Inverness Courier
	Dominic Howles (above) first came to prominence with the Tommy Chase quartet in 1990 since when he has played with many top names including Stan Sultzmann, Alan Skidmore, Christine Tobin and Clark Tracey. He can currently be heard in Tim Whitehead's quartet. Matt Home (left) has been heard recently with Stacey Kent at Ronnie Scott's Club, and is fast making a name for himself on the London scene. Past credits include Don Weller, Jim Mullen, Alan Barnes, Tina May, Bobby Wellins, and many others. "Dominic Howles provided plenty of funky walking bass lines, while drummer Matt Home combined the delicacy of Paul Motian with the wide open swing of Art Blakey." The Guardian
This recording contrasts with Richard's last offering on 33, his nine-piece band Great Spirit (33Jazz051), which featured his compositional skills in a set of original material played by an all-star line-up: Gilad Atzmon, Denys Baptiste, Tony Kofi, Dick Pearce, Roger Beaujolais, etc. The band has also toured the UK several times to great acclaim, with saxplayers Pete King, Ed Jones and Jason Yarde, and the dynamic rhythm section of Seb Rochford and Tom Herbert.	"A jazz pianist virtually without equal in this country, Tim Richards is fully deserving of his place at the forefront of British jazz. Spirit Level have rightly gone down in history as one of the most influential and original of British jazz groups, and the trio really shows off his rare talent." Metro

 

Tim Richards is also the author of the highly acclaimed piano tutor Improvising Blues Piano,
published by Schott & Co in 1997 (book & CD). The sequel, entitled Exploring Jazz Piano is
published in 2005 (Schott & Co, 2 vols, both with CD).

 

To view Twelve by Three CD track listing
and press reviews, please click here


For more information about past TRIO line-ups,
and the first CD The Other Side, please click here

For more information about 33 RECORDS
see the website: www.33jazz.com