Richard Adams (born 1957) is a

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 List of islands of New Zealand, smaller islands. It is the ...

jazz violinist and abstract artist. Born in

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

and migrated to New Zealand, Adams was taught violin by his mother. By the time he left school at 16 he was playing in the Wellington Symphonia. He auditioned for the National Orchestra trainee section, but failed because of his poor

sight-reading In music, sight-reading, also called ''a prima vista'' (Italian meaning "at first sight"), is the practice of reading and performing of a piece in a music notation that the performer has not seen or learned before. Sight-singing is used to descri ...

, having learned to play by ear.

The Nairobi Trio

In 1989 Adams and John Quigley formed the Nairobi Trio. The trio consists of Adams (violin/vocals), Quigley (guitar/vocals), and Peter Koopman (bass/vocals). They play improvised jazz and re-worked standard jazz pieces. They are best known for their original compositions. On tour they perform as a quartet with Andrew Dixon on saxophones/flute/vocals. The trio's name was chosen as a bit of a joke because none of the members came from

Nairobi Nairobi ( ) is the capital and largest city of Kenya. The name is derived from the Maasai phrase ''Enkare Nairobi'', which translates to "place of cool waters", a reference to the Nairobi River which flows through the city. The city prope ...

. Adams received critical acclaim with the jazz group

Neon Quaver Neon is a chemical element with the symbol Ne and atomic number 10. It is a noble gas. Neon is a colorless, odorless, inert monatomic gas under standard conditions, with about two-thirds the density of air. It was discovered (along with kr ...

. He played with his own Richard Adams Quartet and flautist Paul Horn at the Wellington International Arts Festival.

Film and book

In 1977 Adams co-scripted, co-produced, and co-directed the New Zealand feature film ''

Artman Artman is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Carl J. Artman, American politician * Corrie Artman (1907–1970), American football player * Wayne Artman (1936–2006), American sound engineer See also *Artiman Artiman ( ...

'' which was released at

Wellington Film Festival Wellington ( mi, Te Whanganui-a-Tara or ) is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the second-largest city in New Zealand by metr ...

in July 1979. In 1979 he published ''Translations'', a book of poems and etchings. From 1982 to 1988 Adams was head scenic artist for the New Zealand Film Industry. In 1988 he co-founded Pro Art, specialising in commissioned artworks and sculptural pieces. Adams' first studio in 1979 was the dome that was built in the garden at Rita Angus' cottage in Wellington before it became a residence for painters. Adams worked in the kitchen. When he moved to Auckland he rented the Gillies Ave studio that belonged to painter

Louise Henderson Dame Louise Etiennette Sidonie Henderson (née Sauze, 21 April 1902 – 27 June 1994) was a French-New Zealand artist and painter. Life Louise Etiennette Sidonie Sauze was born on 21 April 1902 at Boulogne sur Seine, Paris, France, the onl ...

. Later he worked in writer Barry Crump's former studio in Devonport. Adams first exhibited his works in 1982 at the

Molesworth Gallery Molesworth may refer to: Places *Molesworth, Cambridgeshire, a village in Huntingdonshire, Cambridgeshire, England *Molesworth (crater), a crater on Mars *Molesworth Station, New Zealand's largest farm *Molesworth Street, Dublin, Ireland *Moleswor ...

Wellington Wellington ( mi, Te Whanganui-a-Tara or ) is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the second-largest city in New Zealand by m ...

. Since then his work has been exhibited in Tokyo, Sydney, New York, London and more recently at Gallery Thirty Three in Wanaka, The Arthouse in Christchurch, and the McPherson Gallery in Auckland. In 2004 Adams was appointed Resident Artist, Chambre Avec Vue,

Saignon Saignon (; oc, Sanhon) is a commune in the Vaucluse department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southeastern France. The nearest town is Apt. There is a bakery/cafe, two restaurants, and a general store. The school has about 100 s ...

, France.

References

External links

Diversion Gallery bioNairobi Trio website

Richard Adams website
1957 births Living people New Zealand artists New Zealand violinists Male violinists English emigrants to New Zealand 21st-century violinists 21st-century male musicians 20th-century New Zealand painters 21st-century New Zealand painters 20th-century New Zealand male artists 21st-century New Zealand male artists {{NewZealand-musician-stub