Logan Richardson (born July 29, 1980,

Kansas City, Missouri Kansas City, Missouri, abbreviated KC or KCMO, is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri by List of cities in Missouri, population and area. The city lies within Jackson County, Missouri, Jackson, Clay County, Missouri, Clay, and Pl ...

) is an alto saxophonist, composer, bandleader, and producer. Richardson debuted as a bandleader with his 2007 album ''Cerebral Flow''. He is also a member of the band NEXT Collective. In 2015, Richardson released his label recording debut entitled SHIFT on

Blue Note Records Blue Note Records is an American jazz record label now owned by Universal Music Group and operated under Capitol Music Group. Established in 1939 by History of the Jews in Germany, German-Jewish emigrants Alfred Lion and Max Margulis, it deriv ...

featuring

Pat Metheny Patrick Bruce Metheny ( ; born August 12, 1954) is an American jazz guitarist and composer. He was the leader of the Pat Metheny Group (1977–2010) and continues to work in various small-combo, duet, and solo settings, as well as other side pr ...

, Jason Moran, Harish Raghavan, and

Nasheet Waits Nasheet Waits is an American jazz drummer. Early life and career Waits is a New York native who has been active on the jazz scene since early in his life. His father, percussionist Freddie Waits, died when Waits was 18. Before pursuing a mu ...

Childhood

Richardson grew up surrounded by the numerous LPs and 45s of his parents. He was constantly immersed in R&B,

pop Pop or POP may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Pop music, a musical genre Artists * POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gang Parade * Pop! (British group), a UK pop group * Pop! featuring Angie Hart, an Australian band Album ...

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wale ...

funk Funk is a music genre that originated in African-American communities in the mid-1960s when musicians created a rhythmic, danceable new form of music through a mixture of various music genres that were popular among African-Americans in the ...

soul The soul is the purported Mind–body dualism, immaterial aspect or essence of a Outline of life forms, living being. It is typically believed to be Immortality, immortal and to exist apart from the material world. The three main theories that ...

Motown Motown is an American record label owned by the Universal Music Group. Founded by Berry Gordy, Berry Gordy Jr. as Tamla Records on January 12, 1959, it was incorporated as Motown Record Corporation on April 14, 1960. Its name, a portmanteau ...

, and

gospel Gospel originally meant the Christianity, Christian message ("the gospel"), but in the second century Anno domino, AD the term (, from which the English word originated as a calque) came to be used also for the books in which the message w ...

from an early age. His first musical memories include artists such as

The Temptations The Temptations is an American vocal group formed in Detroit, Michigan, in 1961 as The Elgins, known for their string of successful singles and albums with Motown from the 1960s to the mid-1970s. The group's work with producer Norman Whitfield ...

Stevie Wonder Stevland Hardaway Morris (; Judkins; born May 13, 1950), known professionally as Stevie Wonder, is an American and Ghanaian singer-songwriter, musician, and record producer. He is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the 20th c ...

Prince (musician) Prince Rogers Nelson (June 7, 1958April 21, 2016) was an American singer, songwriter, musician, and actor. Regarded as one of the most influential musicians of his generation, Prince was known for his flamboyant, androgynous persona, wide voc ...

Mahalia Jackson Mahalia Jackson ( ; born Mahala Jackson; October 26, 1911 – January 27, 1972) was an American gospel music, gospel singer, widely considered one of the most influential vocalists of the 20th century. With a career spanning 40 years, Jackson was ...

Phil Collins Philip David Charles Collins (born 30 January 1951) is an English musician, songwriter, record producer and actor. He was the drummer and later became the lead singer of the rock band Genesis (band), Genesis and had a successful solo career, ac ...

James Ingram James Edward Ingram (February 16, 1952 – January 29, 2019) was an American singer, songwriter and record producer. He was a two-time Grammy Award-winner and a two-time Academy Award nominee for Best Original Song. After beginning his career ...

Hall & Oates Daryl Hall & John Oates, commonly known as Hall & Oates, were an American Rock music, rock duo formed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1970. Daryl Hall was generally the lead vocalist, while John Oates primarily supplied electric guitar and ba ...

, and

Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Michael Jackson, one of the most culturally significan ...

Early career

While attending Paseo Academy of Fine and Performing Arts, Richardson was exposed to jazz personalities who would have a profound impact on his future.

Max Roach Maxwell Lemuel Roach (January 10, 1924 – August 16, 2007) was an American jazz drummer and composer. A pioneer of bebop, he worked in many other styles of music, and is generally considered one of the most important drummers in history. He wo ...

was the first jazz musician Richardson can remember seeing live. The

American Jazz Museum The American Jazz Museum is located in the 18th and Vine historic district of Kansas City, Missouri. The museum preserves the history of American jazz music, especially Kansas City jazz music, with exhibits including Charlie Parker, Duke Elling ...

brought Roach to Kansas City frequently in the mid 1990s as a clinician. Richardson also had the opportunity to perform with legendary Kansas City bandleader

Jay McShann James Columbus "Jay" McShann (January 12, 1916 – December 7, 2006) was an American jazz pianist, vocalist, composer, and bandleader. He led bands in Kansas City, Missouri, that included Charlie Parker, Bernard Anderson, Walter Brown, and B ...

in the 1990s, in addition to studying with Kansas City Saxophone great, and educator Ahmad Alaadeen. In 1996 Richardson began leading his own groups in Kansas City while in high school. Richardson performed with the

Kansas City Symphony The Kansas City Symphony (KCS) is an American symphony orchestra based in Kansas City, Missouri. The orchestra is resident at the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts. The orchestra performs a 42-week season, and is also the accompanying o ...

in concert February 27, 1997 at the age of 16, when he was invited by then conductor of the Kansas City Symphony Orchestra

Bill McGlaughlin William McGlaughlin (born October 3, 1943) is an American composer, conductor, music educator, and Peabody Award-winning classical music radio host. He is the host and music director of the public radio programs '' Exploring Music'' and ''Saint ...

, a performance that changed his life.

New York years

Moving to New York City in August 2001, Richardson witnessed the

September 11th attacks The September 11 attacks, also known as 9/11, were four coordinated Islamist terrorist suicide attacks by al-Qaeda against the United States in 2001. Nineteen terrorists hijacked four commercial airliners, crashing the first two into ...

first hand. He was enrolled at the

New School University The New School is a private research university in New York City. It was founded in 1919 as The New School for Social Research with an original mission dedicated to academic freedom and intellectual inquiry and a home for progressive thinkers. ...

where he met, befriended, and performed with young musicians Frank Locrasto, Tommy Crane, Jamire Williams, Joe Sanders, Burniss Earl Travis, Dekel Bor, and teachers Greg Tardy, Carl Allen,

Joe Chambers Joe Chambers (born June 25, 1942) is an American jazz drummer, pianist, vibraphonist and composer. In the 1960s and 1970s, Chambers gigged with many high-profile artists such as Eric Dolphy, Charles Mingus, Wayne Shorter, and Chick Corea an ...

Billy Hart Billy Hart (born November 29, 1940) is an American jazz drumming, jazz drummer and educator. He is known internationally for his work with Herbie Hancock's "Mwandishi" band in the early 1970s, as well as with Shirley Horn, Stan Getz, and Quest (b ...

, and many others including

Stefon Harris Stefon DeLeon Harris (born March 23, 1973) is an American jazz vibraphonist. Biography A native of Albany, New York, Harris intended to work for the New York Philharmonic until he heard the music of Charlie Parker. During the 1990s he recorded ...

, JD Allen,

Butch Morris Lawrence Douglas "Butch" Morris (February 10, 1947 – January 29, 2013) was an American cornetist, composer and conductor. He was known for pioneering his structural improvisation method, ''Conduction'', which he utilized on many recordings. ...

Mulgrew Miller Mulgrew Miller (August 13, 1955 – May 29, 2013) was an American jazz pianist, composer, and educator. As a child he played in churches and was influenced on piano by Ramsey Lewis and then Oscar Peterson. Aspects of their styles remained in his ...

, and more..... Since 2005, Richardson has led his own group, SHIFT. Featuring Richardson's soloing & compositions, as well as the creative and genre-bending playing of his compatriots, SHIFT attempts to answer the question, "Can there be new music in jazz?" Richardson has also been a member of drummer

(son of jazz drummer

Freddie Waits Frederick Douglas Waits (April 27, 1943 – November 18, 1989) was an American hard bop and post-bop drummer. Waits never officially recorded as leader, but was a prominent member and composer in Max Roach's M'Boom percussion ensemble. He work ...

) group Equality, a band that has played many top international festivals such as
North Sea Jazz Festival
, and "

Jazz Baltica Jazz Baltica is a jazz festival which was started in 1990. Up until 2011 it was held every summer in Schloss Salzau (Salzau Palace) near Kiel, Germany, and the coast of the Baltic Sea. In 2009 the festival was directed by Bengt-Arne Wallin and in ...

" with pianists Jason Moran,

Stanley Cowell Stanley Cowell (May 5, 1941 – December 17, 2020) was an American jazz pianist and co-founder of the Strata-East Records label. Early life Cowell was born in Toledo, Ohio. He began playing the piano around the age of four, and became intereste ...

, and bassist

Tarus Mateen Tarus Mateen, also known as Taurus Mateen and Tarus Dorsey Kinch (born October 21, 1967, Bakersfield, California) is an American double-bass and electric bassist, who works in jazz, pop, and R&B idioms.Gary W. Kennedy, "Tarus Mateen". '' The New ...

. On February 27, 2009, Richardson was a member of the much-lauded Monk at Town Hall performance with Jason Moran & Big Bandwagon, culminating in th
historic performance
at

Town Hall In local government, a city hall, town hall, civic centre (in the UK or Australia), guildhall, or municipal hall (in the Philippines) is the chief administrative building of a city, town, or other municipality. It usually houses the city o ...

celebrating a reshaping of Monk's music by Moran.

Discography

As leader * ''Sacred Garden'' (WAX Industry, 2024) * ''Holy Water'' (WAX Industry, 2023) * ''Afrofuturism'' (

Whirlwind Recordings Whirlwind Recordings is a London, UK-based independent record label established in 2010 by Michael Janisch. History The label was founded in 2010 by bassist, composer, educator and producer Michael Janisch in order to release his debut solo albu ...

, 2021) * ''blues PEOPLE'' ( Ropeadope, 2018) * ''Shift'' (

Blue Note Blue Note Records is an American jazz record label now owned by Universal Music Group and operated under Capitol Music Group. Established in 1939 by German-Jewish emigrants Alfred Lion and Max Margulis, it derived its name from the blue no ...

, 2015) (featuring

) * ''Ethos'' (

Inner Circle Music Inner Circle Music is an American jazz record label founded by Greg Osby in 2007. After 15 albums with Blue Note Records, saxophonist Greg Osby left to start his own label. The label specializes in releasing self-produced works from artists fro ...

, 2008) * ''Cerebral Flow'' (

Fresh Sound Fresh Sound, or Fresh Sound New Talent, is a jazz record label established in Barcelona, Spain, by Jordi Pujol. The label was initially founded as a reissue label. The catalog includes work by musicians both major and minor that was recorded be ...

, 2007) As sideman * ''Modes of Communication: Letters from the Underworlds'' (2020), Nduduzo Makhathini * '' Ancestral Recall'' (2019),

Christian Scott Christian Scott may refer to: * Christian Scott (baseball) (born 1999), American baseball player * Christian Scott (musician) Chief Xian aTunde Adjuah () (born March 31, 1983, formerly Christian Scott) is an American jazz trumpeter, multi-instr ...

* ''Tributary Tales'' (2017), Gerald Clayton * ''Cover Art'' (2013), NEXT Collective * ''Life Forum'' (2013), Gerald Clayton * ''Dream Pursuit'' (2012), Tony Tixier * '' Morgan Rewind: A Tribute to Lee Morgan Vol. 1'', (JMood, 2012)

Roberto Magris Roberto Magris (born 19 June 1959) is an Italian jazz pianist, composer, and arranger. Early life Magris was born in Trieste, Italy, on 19 June 1959. He had piano lessons between the ages of four and sixteen. He became interested in jazz aft ...

* ''III'' (2010), Walter Smith III * '' Sixty-Eight'', (2011)

* ''Equality'' (2009),

* ''The Winding Shell'' (2009) Jesse Elder * '' Prelude... to Cora'' (2008)

Ambrose Akinmusire Ambrose Olusiji Akinmusire ( born May 1, 1982) is an American avant-garde jazz composer and trumpeter. Biography Born and raised in Oakland, California, Akinmusire was a member of the Berkeley High School Jazz Ensemble, where he caught the atten ...

* ''Steps of Faith'' (2006), Greg Tardy * ''

The Outlaw ''The Outlaw'' is a 1943 American Western film directed by Howard Hughes and starring Jack Buetel, Jane Russell, Thomas Mitchell and Walter Huston. Hughes also produced the film, removing original director Howard Hawks and replacing origi ...

'' (2005),

* '' The Golden Republic'' (2005), The Golden Republic

References

Nate Chinen, "New York Times" 12/18/2009, "Latin Jazz Is Staple, but Others Are Invited

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Richardson, Logan 1980 births American bandleaders American male composers 21st-century American composers American male saxophonists Living people Musicians from Kansas City, Missouri 21st-century American saxophonists 21st-century American male musicians Whirlwind Recordings artists