Richard Shulman

Richard Shulman possesses exceptional talent as a pianist and composer, with a clear purpose of crafting music that delights the senses while elevating the inner self. His pieces combine refinement and approachability, reflecting the harmonic approach of Keith Jarrett and Bill Evans while seeking to motivate and calm, even amid swinging rhythms. Further influences range from Beethoven and Schumann to Herbie Hancock, Pat Metheny, Chick Corea, and Miles Davis.

After early classical piano training, he acquired jazz improvisation skills from Marian McParland and Chuck Mangione at the Eastman School of Music, then worked with Frank Foster while earning a master’s degree in composition at the State University of New York at Buffalo. Performances and recordings have placed him alongside Thad Jones, Pepper Adams, Grady Tate, Eddie Gomez, and Ron Carter, among others.

An injury affecting both hands shifted his attention toward music’s restorative potential. He maintained his jazz ensemble and issued four albums in that idiom between 1980 and 1986—Wonder, A Simple Gift, Solo Flight, and Open Spaces—while simultaneously developing piano, synthesizer, vocal, and orchestral works meant to support meditation, self-discovery, and worldwide peace.

Beginning in the late 1980s he has released 14 recordings generally described as new age, yet marked by greater sophistication than the drifting improvisation most listeners associate with the style. His Carnegie Hall debut took place in 1994; additional appearances include the Kool Jazz Festival and the United Nations. He has written more than fifty pieces for jazz quartet as well as music for theater and dance companies, choirs, chamber groups, and symphony orchestras.

In 1997 he relocated from Woodstock, NY, to the blue mountains of Asheville, NC, where he continues blending spiritual themes with music and has increased his jazz bookings to present his distinctive fusion approach to larger audiences.