Rich Shemaria Music profile picture

Rich Shemaria Music

Creativity-the art of harnessing your inner demons

About Me

Born in Long Beach, California on April 20, 1955, Rich Shemaria is a New York City based composer, orchestrator and pianist. He is the director of the Rich Shemaria Jazz Orchestra, New York University Jazz Orchestra and keyboardist with the eclectic jazz/world beat group Combo Nuvo. He is the former director of UMO, the Finnish Radio Jazz Orchestra, Helsinki, Finland. Rich has written numerous compositions & arrangements that have been performed or recorded by the likes of Lenny Pickett, Joe Lovano, Chris Potter, Teo Macero, Michael & Randy Brecker, Roberta Gambarini, Dave Liebman, Alex Sipiagin, UMO, the Airmen Of Note, Diva, the Meridian Arts Ensemble, Randy Johnston, Houston Person and the Mannes College Brass & Percussion Ensemble to name a few. Rich teaches composition at New York University and the New School University, in New York City. He currently resides in upper Manhattan with his cat, Frankie.

My Interests

Music:

Member Since: 1/8/2007
Band Website: combonuvo.com
Band Members: COMBO NUVO: Dave Schroeder (harmonica, alto flute, soprano sax, electric e-flat alto clarinet, penny whistles), Jamie Fox (guitar), Rich Shemaria (piano, synthesizer), Mike Richmond (cello), John Hadfield (percussion) AIRMEN OF NOTE: Soloists: Saul Miller (tenor sax) Tyler Kuebler (tenor sax) UMO JAZZ ORCHESTRA:featuring Lenny Pickett (tenor sax) Mikko Pettinen (tpt.) RICH SHEMARIA JAZZ ORCHESTRA: Saxes-Alan Gauvin, Dave Mann, Rich Perry, Patience Higgins Trumpets- Marvin Stamm, Bob Millikan, Tim Hagans Trombone- Jim Pugh Bass Trombone-Dave Taylor Tuba- Dave Bargeron Guitar- Randy Johnston Piano- Rich Shemaria Bass- Bill Urmson Drums- Steve Johns Percussion- Frank Valdes
Influences: My mentors have been (in NYC) Bob Brookmeyer, Manny Albam, Jim McNeely & Kenny Werner (Florida) Don Scaletta, Don Mikiten, Butch Evans & Peter Littman. I have always dug Randy Brecker's harmonic palette. I have received a lot of insight from Ernst Toch's book "The Shaping Forces in Music" and (in no particular order) I love: Igor Stravinsky, Paul Hindemith, Aaron Copland, William Schuman, Witold Lutoslawski, Gyorgy Ligeti, Leonard Bernstein, Jean Sibelius, Claude Debussy, Maurice Ravel, Gustav Holst (and not just "The Planets") and Richard Strauss (has anyone else listened to "Also sprach" after the opening?)
Sounds Like: You decide.............
Record Label: unsigned
Type of Label: None