HOWARD RICHARDS
JAZZ PIANO

Artist Profile

I’ve certainly had an interesting life in the music world. I started playing at the age of five in 1960. Playing the organ at local eateries when I was fifteen didn’t last too long. The organ became passe’ by the early 70s. Trying to score church gigs when you don’t have the experience (or the repertoire) didn’t really work either. So, I took some time away to re-group. I did eventually get back into the organ taking Classical instruction, and landed a couple of church gigs along the way. My organ teacher always told me I should “make friends with the piano.”
I managed to put that off until the early 80s when I went back to college. That’s when I met a real jazz player, Mickey Greco, who played with Woody Hermans’ band when he was nineteen. While in music school, I studied Jazz Impro with Mickey. Now I could earn my ‘bread and butter’ as he put it. Still, I wanted to be a better player, while everyone else was telling me that I would never make the transition from organ to piano. I didn’t have ‘piano hands’, they said. I proved them all wrong! Even if I couldn’t hold a coffee cup in the morning due to practice binges, I did it! In the 80’s I studied with concert artists at the Bay View Conservatory and performed in recital.
Along the way, I played every venue I could, including a country band gig at the “Galloping Goose” in Coolidge, Arizona, and yes, they had chicken wire in front of the stage! In the 90’s I played Jazz Festivals throughout Michigan and had my music aired on CMU Public Radio. This year, I accompanied acclaimed French Artist, Mathias DuHamel, in a live painting event at a local art gallery.
I hope you enjoy my music. It represents 20 years of formulating original musical thoughts and ideas. Each cut tells a story of its’ own if you listen with your imagination as well as your ears. It is indeed a pleasure to share my music.