Rich Perry is an American

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...

tenor saxophonist from

Cleveland Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located along the southern shore of Lake Erie, it is situated across the Canada–U.S. maritime border and approximately west of the Ohio-Pennsylvania st ...

, Ohio. Perry attended

Bowling Green State University Bowling Green State University (BGSU) is a Public university, public research university in Bowling Green, Ohio, United States. The main academic and residential campus is south of Toledo, Ohio. The university has nationally recognized progr ...

for a year before moving to New York. He toured with the

Glenn Miller Alton Glen "Glenn" Miller (March 1, 1904 – December 15, 1944) was an American big band conductor, arranger, composer, trombonist, and recording artist before and during World War II, when he was an officer in the United States Army Air Forces ...

Orchestra in 1975 and with The Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Orchestra the following year. He has also played with

Chet Baker Chesney Henry "Chet" Baker Jr. (December 23, 1929 – May 13, 1988) was an American jazz trumpeter and vocalist. He is known for major innovations in cool jazz that led him to be nicknamed the "Prince of Cool". Baker earned much attention and ...

Paul Bley Paul Bley, Order of Canada, CM (November 10, 1932 – January 3, 2016) was a Canadian jazz pianist known for his contributions to the free jazz movement of the 1960s as well as his innovations and influence on trio playing and his early live per ...

Machito Frank Grillo (born Francisco Raúl Gutiérrez Grillo; December 3, 1909 – April 15, 1984) known professionally as Machito (previously as Macho), was a Latin jazz musician who helped refine Afro-Cuban jazz and create both Cubop and salsa music ...

, Bob Moses,

Jack McDuff Eugene McDuffy (September 17, 1926 – January 23, 2001), known professionally as "Brother" Jack McDuff or "Captain" Jack McDuff, was an American jazz organist and organ trio bandleader. He was most prominent during the hard bop and soul jazz ...

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 ...

, Eddie Gómez,

Tom Harrell Tom Harrell (born June 16, 1946) is an American jazz trumpeter, flugelhornist, composer, and arranger. Voted Trumpeter of the Year of 2018 by ''Jazz Journalists Association'', Harrell has won awards and grants throughout his career, including mul ...

, and Harold Danko. He has recorded as a leader since 1993 on SteepleChase Records. Perry is currently a member of the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra as well as the Maria Schneider Orchestra. He is an adjunct faculty member of the

William Paterson University William Paterson University, known as WP, officially William Paterson University of New Jersey (WPUNJ), is a public university in Wayne, New Jersey, United States. It is part of New Jersey's public system of higher education. Founded in 1855 an ...

jazz program.

Discography

As leader or co-leader

* ''To Start Again'' ( SteepleChase, 1993) * ''Beautiful Love'' (SteepleChase, 1994) * ''What Is This?'' (SteepleChase, 1995) * ''Left Alone'' (SteepleChase, 1997) * '' RichLee!'' (SteepleChase, 1997) – with

Lee Konitz Leon "Lee" Konitz (October 13, 1927 – April 15, 2020) was an American jazz Alto saxophone, alto saxophonist and composer. He performed successfully in a wide range of jazz styles, including bebop, cool jazz, and avant-garde jazz. Konitz's ass ...

* ''Canções do Brasil'' (SteepleChase, 2000) * ''So in Love'' (SteepleChase, 2000) * ''Doxy'' (SteepleChase, 2000) * ''O Grand Amor'' (SteepleChase, 2001) * ''Hearsay'' (SteepleChase, 2002) * ''At Eastman'' (SteepleChase, 2003) * ''East of the Sun and West of 2nd Avenue'' (SteepleChase, 2004) * ''You're My Everything'' (SteepleChase, 2005) * ''Rhapsody'' (SteepleChase, 2006) * ''At the Kitano, Vol. 1'' (SteepleChase, 2006) * ''E-Motion'' (SteepleChase, 2007) * ''At the Kitano, Vol. 2'' (SteepleChase, 2008) * ''Gone'' (SteepleChase, 2010) * ''At the Kitano, Vol. 3'' (SteepleChase, 2010) * ''Grace'' (SteepleChase, 2011) * ''Time Was'' (SteepleChase, 2010) * ''Nocturne'' (SteepleChase, 2014) * ''Organique'' (SteepleChase, 2015) * ''Mood'' (SteepleChase, 2016) * ''Other Matters'' (SteepleChase, 2019) * ''Everything Happens'' (SteepleChase, 2022)

As sideman

''Speechless'' – with Victor Lewis * Sila Cevikce ''A New Abode'' * John Fedchock New York Big Band ''Up and Running'', ''No Nonsense'', ''On the Edge'' * Christian Finger ''Merge into Beauty'' * Artt Frank ''Waltz for Sharon Stone'' (mja Records, 1997) *

Joe Henderson Joe Henderson (April 24, 1937 – June 30, 2001) was an American jazz tenor saxophonist and very occasional flute player. In a career spanning more than four decades, Henderson played with many of the leading American players of his day an ...

''The Joe Henderson Big Band'' *

Fred Hersch Fred Hersch (born October 21, 1955) is an American jazz pianist, composer, and a 17-time Grammy nominée. He was the first person to play weeklong engagements as a solo pianist at the Village Vanguard in New York City. He has recorded more than ...

''Songs Without Words'', ''Point in Time'', ''Forward Motion'' * Aaron Irwin ''Into the Light'' * Clay Jenkins ''Matters of Time'' * Steve Lampert ''Venus Perplexed'', ''Music from There'' *

Andy LaVerne Andy LaVerne (born December 4, 1947) is an American jazz pianist, composer, arranger, and educator. Education and musical career Born in New York City, LaVerne studied at Juilliard School of Music, Berklee College, and the New England Conservat ...

''Pianissimo'' * Pete Malinverni ''Invisible Cities'' * Ron McClure '' Soft Hands'', ''Dream Team'', ''Double Triangle'' – with Tim Hagans, Mark Copeland, Billy Hart *

George Mraz George Mraz (born Jiří Mráz; 9 September 1944 – 16 September 2021) was a Czech-born American jazz bassist and alto saxophonist. He was a member of Oscar Peterson's group, and worked with Pepper Adams, Stan Getz, Michel Petrucciani, Stepha ...

''Bottom Lines'', ''Mraz Jazz'' – with Cyrus Chestnut, Al Foster * Jeanfrançois Prins ''El Gaucho'' – with

Victor Lewis Victor Lewis (born May 20, 1950) is an American jazz drummer, composer, and educator. Early life Victor Lewis was born on May 20, 1950, in Omaha, Nebraska. His father, Richard Lewis, who played saxophone and mother, Camille, a pianist-vocalist ...

Rufus Reid Rufus Reid (born February 10, 1944, in Atlanta, Georgia) is an American jazz bassist, educator, and composer. Biography Reid was raised in Sacramento, California, where he played the trumpet through junior high and high school. Upon graduation ...

''The Gait Keeper'', ''Live at the Kennedy Center'' * Dave Scott ''Song for Amy'', ''Naivete'', ''Nonchalant'' * Dave Stryker ''Blue to the Bone'', ''Big Room'' * Vanguard Jazz Orchestra ''Up from the Skies'', ''The Way'', ''Can I Persuade You'', ''Lickety Split'', ''The Thad Jones Legacy'' * Gary Versace ''Time and Again''

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Perry, Rich Bowling Green State University alumni Living people American jazz saxophonists American male saxophonists Musicians from Cleveland SteepleChase Records artists 1949 births 21st-century American saxophonists Jazz musicians from Ohio 21st-century American male musicians American male jazz musicians