Mike Richmond - Turn out the Stars

Styles: Contemporary, Jazz
Year: 2023
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 61:57
Size: 142,2 MB
Art: Front

(9:10) 1. Mean To Me
(8:24) 2. Waltz For Debbie
(8:46) 3. Bill's Hit Tune
(8:38) 4. B Minor Waltz
(6:16) 5. Peri's Scope
(7:34) 6. Turn Out The Stars
(6:59) 7. Orbit (Unless It's You)
(6:07) 8. You Must Believe In Spring

Mike Richmond's fourth cello album focuses on Bill Evans' music. Award winning bassist Richmond has a long exceptional career performing with Miles Davis, Stan Getz, Dizzy Gillespie, Horace Silver, Gil Evans and others. Richmond has recently been drawn more to playing cello which allows him a greater freedom in refined expressions.

Cello is wonderful in jazz. It's soulful, melodic, and is best in small combos. That's what you have in Mike Richmond: La Vie en Rose. ~ Cadence Magazine https://www.propermusic.com/sccd31941-turn-out-the-stars.html

Personnel: Mike Richmond: cello; Andy Laverne: piano; Jay Anderson: bass; Anthony Pimciotti: drums

Turn out the Stars

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Mike Richmond Cello Quartet - The Pendulum

Styles: Jazz, Post Bop
Year: 2016
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 65:57
Size: 152,3 MB
Art: Front

(6:43)  1. The Pendulum At Falcon's Lair
(6:21)  2. Cello Again
(8:59)  3. Two Litle Pearls
(6:18)  4. Laverne Walk
(7:28)  5. Why Not? That's What!
(7:00)  6. Tricotism
(7:32)  7. Tamalpais Love Song To The Winds
(6:39)  8. My Little Cello
(8:53)  9. Oscalypso

Not a record with four cellos in the lead but a set that features bassist Mike Richmond picking up the instrument in a glittering tribute to the genius of Oscar Pettiford! The set features all Pettiford compositions, played by a swinging group that features Peter Zak on piano, Jay Anderson on bass, and Billy Drummond on drums players who provide a warm core while Richmond mostly plucks the cello, and uses the instrument in wonderfully melodic ways that mixture of deep groove and lyrical swing that Pettiford brought to his most unique recordings of the 50s. Zak's piano has a harder bite, which makes for a nice contrast in tones and titles include "Why Not That's What", "Laverne Walk", "Cello Again", "The Pendulum At Falcon's Lair", "My Little Cello", "Tamalpais Love Song To The Winds", and "Oscalypso".  

© 1996-2018, Dusty Groove, Inc. https://www.dustygroove.com/item/837788/Mike-Richmond-Cello-Quartet:Pendulum

Personnel:  Mike Richmond (cello); Peter Zak (piano); Jay Anderson (bass); Billy Drummond (drums).

The Pendulum

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George Adams - Hand To Hand

Styles: Saxophone And Flute Jazz
Year: 1980
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 39:48
Size: 91,7 MB
Art: Front

( 9:14)  1. The Cloocker
(10:58)  2. Yamani's Passion
( 8:12)  3. For Dee J.
(11:22)  4. Joobubie

A passionate tenor and flute player who was not shy to break up chordal improvising with an unexpected scream or roar, George Adams was an original voice who (like his friend Don Pullen) crossed over several stylistic boundaries. He started on piano, but by the time he was in high school he was playing tenor in funk bands. In 1961, he toured with Sam Cooke, and in 1963 Adams moved to Ohio where he played with organ groups for the next few years. In 1968, he relocated to New York where he played with Roy Haynes, Gil Evans, and Art Blakey, among others. However, it was his association with Charles Mingus (1973-1976) that gave him his initial fame. After playing a bit with McCoy Tyner, Adams co-led a stimulating quartet with Don Pullen that made many records. Late in life, Adams (who enjoyed taking an occasional raspy blues vocal) teamed up with James Blood Ulmer in the group Phalanx, and occasionally played with Mingus Dynasty. ~ Scott Yanow https://www.allmusic.com/artist/george-adams-mn0000804097/biography

Personnel: Tenor Saxophone, Flute – George Adams; Bass – Mike Richmond; Drums – Dannie Richmond; Piano – Hugh Lawson; Trombone – Jimmy Knepper

Hand To Hand

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Mike Richmond - La Vie En Rose

Styles: Jazz, Post Bop
Year: 2019
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 67:11
Size: 154,5 MB
Art: Front

(9:31)  1. I'm Getting Sentimental over You
(9:53)  2. Stranger in Paradise
(8:30)  3. Come Sunday
(6:33)  4. How Deep Is the Ocean
(7:37)  5. Zingaro
(7:52)  6. Love Is A-Many Splendored Things
(9:00)  7. Duke Ellington's Sound of Love
(8:13)  8. La Vie En Rose

Rich, round tones from Mike Richmond one of the few improvising cellists we know in jazz a musician who can pluck the instrument with all the depth of a bassist, and whose work here takes us back to classics in the tiny genre by Ron Carter, Oscar Pettiford, and Eldee Young! The setting is lean, and the cello lines are clean really inflected with a mix of melodic and rhythmic vibes the latter of which are underscored by deeper conventional bass work by Jay Anderson, in a quartet with Peter Zak on piano and Billy Drummond on drums! The lineup have a great way of swinging gently, as Richmond moves between plucking and bowing on titles that include "Stranger In Paradise", "Come Sunday", "La Vie En Rose", "Duke Ellington's Sound Of Love", and "Zingaro".  © 1996-2020, Dusty Groove, Inc. https://www.dustygroove.com/item/934085/Mike-Richmond:La-Vie-En-Rose

Personnel:  Mike Richmond - cello;  Peter Zak - piano;  Jay Anderson - bass;  Billy Drummond - drums

La Vie En Rose

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Andy Laverne - Shangri-La

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 2019
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 64:11
Size: 147,7 MB
Art: Front

(6:48)  1. Noteification
(5:59)  2. Give and Take
(5:56)  3. It's All Good
(6:47)  4. Waltz King
(6:51)  5. Bluestrain
(7:12)  6. Shangri-La
(5:45)  7. Resolute Pursuit
(9:11)  8. Guiding Light
(9:40)  9. Two in One

The previous recording in Andy LaVerne’s large SteepleChase discography (Faith, 2017) featured trumpeter Alex Sipiagin, bassist Mike Richmond, and drummer Jason Tiemann. This new album adds Jerry Bergonzi on tenor saxophone. Some good news about Shangri-La: Sipiagin and Bergonzi are special players. Sipiagin’s solos are complete bold statements and his tone on both trumpet and flugelhorn is penetrating and pure. Bergonzi’s tenor sound is delightfully impure, full of flutters and abrasions and nasal intensities. LaVerne writes some graceful themes. “Guiding Light” is one of two tunes here for the late John Abercrombie, LaVerne’s friend and collaborator. Sipiagin and Bergonzi take turns with the melody in heartfelt calls and responses, touching new emotions of love and loss on each pass. Nine LaVerne originals, balanced among blues, ballads, and postbop shout-outs, are carefully crafted. Some other news about Shangri-La: LaVerne’s well-made tunes sometimes sound generic. “Noteification” is rather like at least 100 convoluted anthems on at least 100 records since the birth of bebop. “Bluestrain” is also vaguely familiar because it could be anybody’s blues. 

When LaVerne solos, the level of creativity drops. His innocuous, pleasant piano work lacks compelling ideas. An unqualified success is the recorded sound of engineer Chris Sulit. In an era when great studios (Systems Two, Avatar, Bennett) keep closing, Sulit, working in his Trading 8s Studio in Paramus, New Jersey, has become a keeper of the flame. Shangri-La is a vivid, dynamic sonic portrayal of an accomplished new-millennium jazz quintet. ~ Thomaz Conrad https://jazztimes.com/reviews/albums/andy-laverne-shangri-la-steeplechase/

Personnel: Andy Laverne - piano; Alex Sipiagin - trumpet, fluegelhorn; Jerry Bergonzi - tenor saxophone; Mike Richmond - bass; Jason Tiemann - drums

Shangri-La

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Hubert Laws - My Time Will Come

Styles: Flute Jazz
Year: 1993
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 55:01
Size: 126,7 MB
Art: Front

(10:11)  1. Malaguena
( 5:16)  2. My Time Will Come
( 5:03)  3. It's So Crazy
( 6:54)  4. Shades of Light
(10:57)  5. Valse
( 8:45)  6. Make It Last
( 7:52)  7. Moonlight Sonata

This is a streaky affair, Hubert Laws's first recording as a leader in quite a few years. The great flutist has a reunion with Don Sebesky on a version of "Malaguena" that becomes an imitation of Chick Corea's "Spain," a few of the selections are forgettable funk and "Moonlight Sonata" is ruined by an unbearable rhythm. However there are some fine performances that feature excellent soloing by Laws and pianist John Beasley. Still, only Hubert Laws's most loyal fans will want this release. ~ Scott Yanow https://www.allmusic.com/album/my-time-will-come-mw0000095582

Personnel:  Piccolo Flute – Hubert Laws; Bass – Gary Willis, John Patitucci , Mike Richmond; Congas – Terry Santiel; Drums – Clayton Cameron, Dan Gotlieb, Leon "Ndugu" Chancelor, Ralph Penland; Flute – Hubert Laws ; Keyboards – George Duke, Joe Sample, John Beasley; Percussion – Sue Evans, Terry Santiel; Piano – Mark Gray;  Soprano Saxophone – Ronnie Laws;  Vocals – Joan LaBarbara

My Time Will Come

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Andy Laverne - Three's Not A Crowd

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 2012
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 76:03
Size: 174,3 MB
Art: Front

( 9:48)  1. Fourth Right
( 9:56)  2. Three's Not A Crowd
( 9:11)  3. Bird Song
( 7:56)  4. As Always
(10:48)  5. Flashback
( 8:00)  6. Embrace
(10:52)  7. Leave The Blues Behind
( 9:30)  8. Destiny

The "Three" of "The Three Is Not A Crowd" goes way back to 1977 when Andy LaVerne, Mike Richmond and Billy Hart comprised the rhythm section for the great Stan Getz quartet. Andy LaVerne cut his debut album with Richmond and Hart that year in Copenhagen which was released as "Another World" on SteepleChase. 35 years later the "Three" convened in a NJ studio to record. The result here is not just a reunion but a new world of creative outpouring by the three mature artists. Recorded December 2011.  https://www.propermusic.com/product-details/Andy-LaVerne-Threes-Not-a-Crowd-146948

Personnel: Andy Laverne (piano), Mike Richmond (bass), Billy Hart (drums)

Three's Not A Crowd

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Mike Richmond - Dance For Andy

Styles: Jazz, Post Bop
Year: 1989
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 74:01
Size: 169,9 MB
Art: Front

( 8:44)  1. Conflictions
( 6:53)  2. Invitation
( 8:44)  3. Emily
(10:14)  4. Dance For Andy
( 8:28)  5. I Remember Clifford
( 8:58)  6. Gospel
( 5:18)  7. Witchi-Tai-To
( 7:08)  8. Blues For Spock
( 9:30)  9. You And The Night And The Music

“ This is an excellent example of CD’s advantage over LP. The playing time is almost 1 1/4 hours and the sound is superb DDD; the music is all of a very high quality…I’ve played this CD a good many times since receiving it, and its appeal has in no way diminished. Could be one for my Top Ten of 1991.” (Mike Shera, Jazz Journal International )

Personnel:  Mike Richmond - bass;  Larry Schneider - tenor & soprano sax;  Jim McNeely - piano;  Keith Copeland - drums

Dance For Andy

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Andy LaVerne - Faith

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 2017
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 63:58
Size: 148,6 MB
Art: Front

( 8:06)  1. Touch Sensitive
(10:52)  2. All Things Considered
( 6:21)  3. Avanti
( 9:16)  4. Enigma
( 8:47)  5. Faith
( 5:44)  6. Hidden Agenda
( 6:18)  7. Paramour No More
( 8:31)  8. Double Down

Andy LaVerne continues to explore the path he set out with his previous critically acclaimed release “Genesis” (SCCD 31818), this time with an added voice in trumpet/flugelhorn by Alex Sipiagin as well as Mike Richmond’s overdubbed cello over his bass-line. As in the previous album all titles are new originals by LaVerne, who, to quote Neil Tesser, Grammy Award winning American journalist, is a committed melodist, with truly individualistic tone. “… Intelligent Design lives up to its name as one of LaVerne’s best efforts thus far and one of the finest jazz releases of the year.”

Personnel: Andy Laverne piano; Alex Sipiagin trumpet flugelhorn; Mike Richmond bass cello; Jason Tieman drums

Faith

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Andy Laverne - Genesis

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 2016
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 63:20
Size: 145,3 MB
Art: Front

( 7:30)  1. Genesis
( 5:49)  2. Metafour
( 5:48)  3. Venus De Milo
( 4:05)  4. Show Me The Monet
( 5:23)  5. Do Unto Yourself As You Would Do Unto Others
( 9:10)  6. Mourning
( 8:00)  7. Bleu Train
(11:45)  8. Why Nobody Just Don't Wanna Do What I Ask Them To Do
( 5:46)  9. Piece

A fine keyboardist who has ranged in styles from Bill Evans to Chick Corea and fusion, Andy LaVerne has managed to avoid predictability throughout his career. He began studying as a classical piano student at Juilliard when he was eight. After discovering jazz, LaVerne had some important lessons from Bill Evans. He toured with Woody Herman's big band (1973-1975), played with John Abercrombie, and Miroslav Vitous, and was with Stan Getz's group during 1977-1980, often playing electric piano. 

In the 1980s, he performed with the Brubeck-LaVerne Trio (which also featured Chris and Dan Brubeck), recorded a tribute to Chick Corea for DMP, and became a busy jazz educator. In the 1990s, LaVerne has concentrated on acoustic piano, recording a solo concert at Maybeck Recital Hall. Through the years, Andy LaVerne has recorded as a leader for Storyville (1977), Jazzline, SteepleChase, DMP, Triloka, Concord, and some smaller labels. ~ Scott Yanow https://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/andy-laverne/id36603969#fullText

Personnel: Piano – Andy LaVerne;  Bass – Mike Richmond;  Drums – Jason Tiemann

Genesis

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Jim McNeely - Winds Of Change

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 1989
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 60:02
Size: 137,5 MB
Art: Front

(6:18)  1. Winds Of Change
(6:48)  2. Too True To Be Good
(9:07)  3. Power Gap
(7:20)  4. Yours And Mine
(9:00)  5. All Or Nothing At All
(6:30)  6. Quietude
(7:00)  7. Brooder's Waltz
(7:56)  8. Bye-Ya

Jim McNeely's 1989 trio session with bassist Mike Richmond and drummer Kenny Washington is a proverbial "hidden gem" in his discography. The pianist's advanced yet accessible compositions include the dramatic opener, "Winds of Change," which starts in a Latin setting with shades of Igor Stravinsky's early ballets, along with the haunting "Brooder's Waltz." Another original, "Power Gap," features the leader on DX-7 and showcases Washington's superb brushwork. Since McNeely is a veteran of the Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Orchestra, it shouldn't be surprising that he is a fan of Jones' compositions. 

His touching take of "Yours and Mine" and the gently swinging interpretation of "Quietude" would have pleased Jones. Washington opens Thelonious Monk's "Bye-Ya" unaccompanied, while McNeely's rollicking arrangement has a Latin undercurrent. ~ Ken Dryden http://www.allmusic.com/album/winds-of-change-mw0000265985

Personnel: Jim McNeely (piano, synthesizer), Mike Richmond (bass), Kenny Washington (drums)

Winds Of Change

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Jim McNeely Quintet - Rain's Dance

Styles: Piano Jazz
Year: 1976
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 54:00
Size: 123,7 MB
Art: Front

( 6:12)  1. Wishful Thinking
(10:38)  2. Little Green Men
( 4:28)  3. Tipe Tizwe
(10:46)  4. Rain's Dance
( 9:29)  5. For The Crazy One
(12:25)  6. Rain's Dance

Pianist Jim McNeely, who includes stints with Ted Curson, Stan Getz, Thad Jones and Mel Lewis, and Phil Woods on his lengthy resume, has been gradually recognized by the jazz public as a terrific composer, but these 1976 sessions, which mark one of his earliest dates as a leader, show him to be a very advanced writer at an early stage of his career. The hypnotic opener, "Wishful Thinking," features Larry Schneider on soprano sax in a modal setting. McNeely switches to electric piano for his playful "Little Green Men." On the catchy "Tipe Tizwe," based on a traditional African folk song, the leader plays both piano and African thumb piano (which is rarely heard in jazz), and is joined only by percussionist Sam Jacobs. "Rain's Dance" is a driving post-bop composition that marks the typical ebb and flow in the intensity of a summer storm; it's heard in two separate takes, featuring fine solos by McNeely, bassist Mike Richmond, and Larry Schenider on tenor sax. This adventurous date by Jim McNeely is well worth acquiring. ~ Ken Dryden http://www.allmusic.com/album/rains-dance-mw0000580108

Personnel:  Bass – Mike Richmond;  Drums – Bob Merigliano;  Piano, Electric Piano, Composed By – Jim McNeely;  Tenor Saxophone, Soprano Saxophone – Larry Schneider

Rain's Dance

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Mike Richmond & Andy LaVerne - For Us

Styles: Jazz, Piano Jazz
Year: 1978
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 45:12
Size: 107,2 MB
Art: Front

(6:17)  1. For Us
(3:43)  2. Peace And Happiness
(4:13)  3. Prism
(7:45)  4. Skies
(9:32)  5. Bolero
(7:30)  6. Reflections
(6:09)  7. Air

Mike Richmond has expressed his love of music on a global level. In addition to accompanying such stellar jazz musicians as Miles Davis and Stan Getz and folk/blues singer/songwriter Richie Havens, the Philadelphia-born bass player has performed in concert with Indian sitar player Ravi Shankar and the South Indian Orchestra and has served as chief instructor for the National German Jazz Orchestra. Initially a guitar player, Richmond was inspired by a Bill Haley and the Comets show that he attended with his parents in the mid-'50s. He switched to the bass after joining his high school orchestra. Richmond's understanding of world music developed at an early age. His mother frequently played Middle Eastern records in the family home. His interests in Indian music were sparked by the soundtrack of the late-'40s television series Ramar of the Jungle and the Beatles' involvement with Indian music. Richmond has been involved in some of jazz's most impressive projects. He participated in the Miles Davis and Quincy Jones-collaborative concert in Montreux, Switzerland, which became Davis's final performance. He subsequently replaced Charles Mingus in the Mingus Dynasty. On his debut solo album Basic Tendencies, Richmond was accompanied by harp player Lois Colin, percussionists Glen Velez and Joe Passaro, and oud player Simon Shaheen. Richmond received a Teacher of the Year award in 1994 for his teaching at New York University. ~ Craig Harris http://www.allmusic.com/artist/mike-richmond-mn0000491554/biography

Personnel:  Bass – Mike Richmond;  Piano – Andy Laverne

For Us

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Mike Richmond, Larry Schneider And Adam Nussbaum - On The Edge

Styles: Jazz, Post Bop
Year: 1988
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 65:02
Size: 149,4 MB
Art: Front

( 8:48)  1. On The Edge
( 5:01)  2. Northern Lites
( 6:56)  3. Adam and The Tribe
( 4:25)  4. Soft Focus
( 6:02)  5. Someday My Prince Will Come
( 6:01)  6. In A Sentimental Mood
(10:07)  7. Sand and Sea
( 8:47)  8. For D.R.
( 8:50)  9. Gospel

Mike Richmond has expressed his love of music on a global level. In addition to accompanying such stellar jazz musicians as Miles Davis and Stan Getz and folk/blues singer/songwriter Richie Havens, the Philadelphia-born bass player has performed in concert with Indian sitar player Ravi Shankar and the South Indian Orchestra and has served as chief instructor for the National German Jazz Orchestra. Initially a guitar player, Richmond was inspired by a Bill Haley and the Comets show that he attended with his parents in the mid-'50s. He switched to the bass after joining his high school orchestra. Richmond's understanding of world music developed at an early age. His mother frequently played Middle Eastern records in the family home. His interests in Indian music were sparked by the soundtrack of the late-'40s television series Ramar of the Jungle and the Beatles' involvement with Indian music. 

Richmond has been involved in some of jazz's most impressive projects. He participated in the Miles Davis and Quincy Jones-collaborative concert in Montreux, Switzerland, which became Davis's final performance. He subsequently replaced Charles Mingus in the Mingus Dynasty. On his debut solo album Basic Tendencies, Richmond was accompanied by harp player Lois Colin, percussionists Glen Velez and Joe Passaro, and oud player Simon Shaheen. Richmond received a Teacher of the Year award in 1994 for his teaching at New York University. ~ Craig Harris https://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/mike-richmond/id5324858#fullText

Personnel:  Bass – Mike Richmond;  Drums – Adam Nussbaum;  Flute, Soprano Saxophone, Tenor Saxophone – Larry Schneider

On The Edge

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