Richard Drexler is an American jazz bassist, pianist, and vocalist.
Biography
Drexler, a native of
Bloomington, Illinois
Bloomington is a city and the county seat of McLean County, Illinois, McLean County, Illinois, United States. It is adjacent to the town of Normal, Illinois, Normal, and is the more populous of the two principal municipalities of the Bloomingto ...
, moved to Florida in 1985. He appeared as a pianist and sideman on Janny Grein's album ''Keys of the Kingdom'' in 1999, which received 3 stars and an album pick from AllMusic. He entered the jazz genre as pianist on Dan McMillion's album ''
Up Your Brass'' and was described by critic Jack Bowers as "surely one of Florida's best."
In 2005, he released his first album as leader, ''Señor Juan Brahms'', with
Bob Mintzer
Robert Alan Mintzer (born January 27, 1953) is an American jazz saxophonist, composer, arranger, and big band leader.
Early life
Mintzer was born and raised in a Jewish family in New Rochelle, New York, on January 27, 1953. He attended the Inter ...
on saxophone, Kenny Drew Jr. on piano, and
Alex Acuña
Alejandro Neciosup Acuña (born December 12, 1944), known professionally as Alex Acuña, is a Peruvian-American drummer and percussionist.
Background
Born in Pativilca, Peru, Acuña played in local bands such as La Orquesta de los Hermanos Neci ...
on drums, featuring standards and jazz arrangements of
Johannes Brahms
Johannes Brahms (; 7 May 1833 – 3 April 1897) was a German composer, pianist, and conductor of the mid- Romantic period. Born in Hamburg into a Lutheran family, he spent much of his professional life in Vienna. He is sometimes grouped wit ...
compositions. The album was notable for "blur
ing
Ing, ING or ing may refer to:
Art and media
* '' ...ing'', a 2003 Korean film
* i.n.g, a Taiwanese girl group
* The Ing, a race of dark creatures in the 2004 video game '' Metroid Prime 2: Echoes''
* "Ing", the first song on The Roches' 199 ...
the distinctions seemingly separating classical, jazz, and Latin American music" and for writing the album's program notes in which he requested that listeners "listen to recordings of the original versions of all these pieces to hear the context and omitted material."
In 2018, Drexler joined
Harry Allen and the Four Others as the band's pianist, a tribute to Woody Herman's Four Brothers saxophone ensemble. The new group included Allen,
Lew del Gatto,
Jeff Rupert
Jeff Rupert (born September 6, 1964) is an American jazz saxophonist and professor at the University of Central Florida.
Career
Rupert received his master's degree in Jazz Studies from Mason Gross School of the Arts, Rutgers University in 1993, ...
, and
Saul Dautch as the four saxophone players.
A professor at the
University of Central Florida
The University of Central Florida (UCF) is a public research university whose main campus is in unincorporated Orange County, Florida. UCF also has nine smaller regional campuses throughout central Florida. It is part of the State University ...
and member of the
Jazz Professors group, Drexler played on the album ''R&D'', released in 2018, and ''The Ripple'' featuring vocalist Lucy Yeghiazaryan.
Discography
As leader
* ''Señor Juan Brahms'' (2005)
* ''My One and Only Love'' (2005)
As sideman
* ''Keys of the Kingdom'' (1999)
* ''
Up Your Brass'' (2002)
* ''R&D'' (2018)
* ''The Ripple'' (2020)
* ''Blues and Cubes'' (2022)
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Drexler, Richard
American jazz double-bassists
Musicians from Illinois
Year of birth missing (living people)
Living people
American jazz pianists
The Jazz Professors members