Biography
Born on 23 June 1952 in London, England, Richards studied classical piano in his early years. After encountering the playing of Thelonious Monk and Otis Spann at fourteen, he proceeded to master jazz and blues piano on his own. He assembled Spirit Level in Bristol during 1979, enlisting Paul Dunmall on tenor saxophone, Paul Anstey on bass, and Tony Orrell on drums. Two years later the quartet captured first prize at the Dunkirk Jazz Festival in France, attracting widespread attention while preserving an unusually steady personnel for the next decade.
Toward the close of the 1980s a reconstituted Spirit Level incorporated Jerry Underwood on tenor saxophone, Mark Sanders on drums, and Andy Cleyndert on bass, the latter position later assumed by Ernest Mothle. A mid-1990s iteration kept Underwood and added Pete Kubryk Townsend on bass together with Kenrick Rowe on drums, carrying the group across numerous European engagements.
Richards launched the nine-piece Great Spirit in 1999. The preceding year he had received a commission from The Shed, the arts centre near Malton in North Yorkshire at Brawby, whose jazz series had begun years earlier with a Spirit Level performance. His new composition “Suite For The Shed” received its premiere at York University on 22 October 1999, inaugurating a two-month tour by Great Spirit that included a live BBC broadcast and an appearance at the London Jazz Festival. The ensemble documented the suite on record with leading London jazz figures such as trumpeter Dick Pearce, saxophonists Gilad Atzmon, Denys Baptiste and Tony Kofi, vibraphonist Roger Beaujolais, guitarist Dave Colton, bassist Davide Mantovani, and drummer Dave Ohm. Baptiste missed the tour, his chair filled on successive dates by Ed Jones and Patrick Clahar. A further British tour in February 2001 featured saxophonist Pete King, bassist Tom Herbert, and drummer Sebastian Rochford. Richards’s writing and the band’s execution merge blues-saturated hard bop with thoughtful contemporary textures, yielding music that remains urgent, internally dynamic, and deeply soulful.
From the early 1980s onward Richards worked extensively as a sideman across blues, Latin jazz, funk, African music, and modern jazz contexts, collaborating with Asuri, Beaujolais, Coup D’Etat, Dana Gillespie, Earl Green, Grooveyard, Mornington Lockett, Mark Lockheart, Claire Martin, Jim Mullen, Roland Perrin, Todd Sharpville, Andy Sheppard, Barbara Thompson, Keith Tippett, Jean Toussaint, and Theo Travis. In 1988 he formed a trio with bassist Townsend and drummer Rowe; later members included Dominic Howles on bass and Andrea Trillo and Matt Home on drums. That same year he joined Otis Grand’s Dance Kings for European club and festival dates, contributing to the 1988 recording Always Hot, and also performed with guitarist Joe Louis Walker. In 1993 Richards organized the London Blues Band quintet, which included guitarist Jon Taylor and tenor saxophonist Brian Iddenden. He simultaneously developed a sustained partnership with Austrian saxophonist Sigi Finkel that opened with two 1996 BBC Radio 3 duo broadcasts and continued through recordings and tours of Britain and Europe. Richards and Finkel serve as co-leaders of the quartet Soundscape alongside bassist Phil Scragg and drummer Marc Parnell. In 1998 Richards toured Europe with guitarist Larry Garner and performed with vocalist Kate Zaitz, also known as Q Bee.
Beyond performing, Richards has taught jazz piano, blues piano, and improvisation for two decades at institutions including Goldsmiths College and Morley College in London. Several of his piano compositions appear in the Associated Board Jazz Piano and Rock School Popular Piano syllabuses. He has authored instructional volumes such as Exploring Jazz Piano and Improvising Blues Piano. His musical pursuits extend further: in 1998 he created the contemporary classical work “Timetrap” for violin, cello, and piano. His ability to maintain comparable integrity whether addressing raw blues or exploratory improvised music sets him apart, and his organizational energy, performance and compositional craft, and dedication to music education have kept him a central figure on the jazz landscape of the early 2000s, just as he was throughout the preceding twenty years.
Toward the close of the 1980s a reconstituted Spirit Level incorporated Jerry Underwood on tenor saxophone, Mark Sanders on drums, and Andy Cleyndert on bass, the latter position later assumed by Ernest Mothle. A mid-1990s iteration kept Underwood and added Pete Kubryk Townsend on bass together with Kenrick Rowe on drums, carrying the group across numerous European engagements.
Richards launched the nine-piece Great Spirit in 1999. The preceding year he had received a commission from The Shed, the arts centre near Malton in North Yorkshire at Brawby, whose jazz series had begun years earlier with a Spirit Level performance. His new composition “Suite For The Shed” received its premiere at York University on 22 October 1999, inaugurating a two-month tour by Great Spirit that included a live BBC broadcast and an appearance at the London Jazz Festival. The ensemble documented the suite on record with leading London jazz figures such as trumpeter Dick Pearce, saxophonists Gilad Atzmon, Denys Baptiste and Tony Kofi, vibraphonist Roger Beaujolais, guitarist Dave Colton, bassist Davide Mantovani, and drummer Dave Ohm. Baptiste missed the tour, his chair filled on successive dates by Ed Jones and Patrick Clahar. A further British tour in February 2001 featured saxophonist Pete King, bassist Tom Herbert, and drummer Sebastian Rochford. Richards’s writing and the band’s execution merge blues-saturated hard bop with thoughtful contemporary textures, yielding music that remains urgent, internally dynamic, and deeply soulful.
From the early 1980s onward Richards worked extensively as a sideman across blues, Latin jazz, funk, African music, and modern jazz contexts, collaborating with Asuri, Beaujolais, Coup D’Etat, Dana Gillespie, Earl Green, Grooveyard, Mornington Lockett, Mark Lockheart, Claire Martin, Jim Mullen, Roland Perrin, Todd Sharpville, Andy Sheppard, Barbara Thompson, Keith Tippett, Jean Toussaint, and Theo Travis. In 1988 he formed a trio with bassist Townsend and drummer Rowe; later members included Dominic Howles on bass and Andrea Trillo and Matt Home on drums. That same year he joined Otis Grand’s Dance Kings for European club and festival dates, contributing to the 1988 recording Always Hot, and also performed with guitarist Joe Louis Walker. In 1993 Richards organized the London Blues Band quintet, which included guitarist Jon Taylor and tenor saxophonist Brian Iddenden. He simultaneously developed a sustained partnership with Austrian saxophonist Sigi Finkel that opened with two 1996 BBC Radio 3 duo broadcasts and continued through recordings and tours of Britain and Europe. Richards and Finkel serve as co-leaders of the quartet Soundscape alongside bassist Phil Scragg and drummer Marc Parnell. In 1998 Richards toured Europe with guitarist Larry Garner and performed with vocalist Kate Zaitz, also known as Q Bee.
Beyond performing, Richards has taught jazz piano, blues piano, and improvisation for two decades at institutions including Goldsmiths College and Morley College in London. Several of his piano compositions appear in the Associated Board Jazz Piano and Rock School Popular Piano syllabuses. He has authored instructional volumes such as Exploring Jazz Piano and Improvising Blues Piano. His musical pursuits extend further: in 1998 he created the contemporary classical work “Timetrap” for violin, cello, and piano. His ability to maintain comparable integrity whether addressing raw blues or exploratory improvised music sets him apart, and his organizational energy, performance and compositional craft, and dedication to music education have kept him a central figure on the jazz landscape of the early 2000s, just as he was throughout the preceding twenty years.
Albums
