Rich Perry

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Rich Perry has been living and performing in New York City since 1976. His beautiful tone and sophisticated harmonic conception have given him a unique creative voice which critics have described as “eloquent,” “inventive,” “thoughtfully lyrical” and “impassioned yet cerebral.”
Born in 1955 in Cleveland, Ohio, Perry became interested in jazz in high school, and studied briefly at Bowling Green State University, before moving to New York. In 1977 he joined the Thad Jones /Mel Lewis Orchestra—which at that time included Pepper Adams, Jerry Dodgion, Rufus Reid, and Harold Danko—and spent the next two years touring the U.S. and Europe. After Thad Jones left the band, Perry continued playing with Mel Lewis, recording three LP’s with him, including "Live in Montreux", and "Naturally". The band, with Perry as a key member, is now known as The Vanguard Jazz Orchestra, and continues to tour and record. Three of their recent cds have been nominated for Grammy awards.
A highlight of Perry’s career has been his association with the gifted composer and arranger Maria Schneider. As a charter member of her orchestra, Perry has been featured on all of her cds including, "Allegresse", "Coming About", "Evanesence" , and the Grammy award winning "Concert In The Garden". Her latest recording, "Sky Blue", features "Rich’s Piece", a beautiful composition written for him. He has performed with her in Europe, Asia, and throughout the U.S.
He has maintained a long-term friendship and collaboration with Harold Danko, begun during their days with Thad Jones/Mel Lewis. It has resulted in Perry’s cds "To Start Again", "Cancoes do Brasil", "At Eastman", "East Of The Sun", "Rhapsody", "Your’e My Everything" and "At The Kitano Vol 1". and Danko’s cds "Prestigious", "Nightscapes", "Stablemates", "Tidal Breeze", "New Autumn", "The Feeling of Jazz", "Next Age", and "Oatts &Perry".
Perry has recorded extensively for SteepleChase.. The 15 cds he has recorded as a leader have featured such greats as George Mraz, Fred Hersch, Victor Lewis, Dennis Irwin, Scott Colley, Billy Hart, Frank Kimbrough, Jay Anderson, Renee Rosnes, Billy Drumond, George Colligan, and Tom Rainey.
Perry is also a member of the Rufus Reid Quintet, the Dave Scott Quintet, the Christian Finger Band, the George Mraz Quartet, with Richie Beirach and Billy Hart and the John Fedchock New York Big Band. He has also played in several groups led by the pianist Fred Hersch.
Perry is a skilled instructor of jazz improvisation and is on the faculty of William Paterson University. He has led clinics and workshops at schools in the U.S. and abroad including The University of North Texas, The Eastman School of Music, Northern Iowa State University, University Of Oregon, IACP, Paris, and the AMR in Geneva,Switzerland, to name a few. His renown as a personable and experienced private instructor has brought him students from all over the world as well as from schools in the New York City area such as The New School, New York University, Manhattan School of Music, and The City College of New York . He is also on the faculty of Jamey Aebersold's Summer Jazz Workshops.
He has appeared on over seventy cds, these are a few of them;
Pete Malinverni: "Invisible Cities"
Rufus Reid: "The Gait Keeper", "Live At The Kennedy Center"
Gary Versace: "Time And Again"
Dave Scott: "Song For Amy", "Naivete"
Christian Finger: "Merge Into Beauty"
George Mraz : "Bottom Lines", "Mraz Jazz", with Richie Beirach, Al Foster
Fred Hersch : "Songs Without Words", "Point in Time", "Forward Motion"
Ron McClure : "Soft Hands", "Dream Team", "Double Triangle", with Tim Hagans, Mark Copeland, Billy Hart
Vanguard Jazz Orchestra: "Up From The Skies", "The Way", "Can I Persuade You", "Lickety Split", "The Thad Jones Legacy"
Andy LaVerne: "Pianissimo"
Paul Bley: "Speechles" ,with Victor Lewis
The John Fedchock New York Big Band: "Up And Running", "No Nonsense", "On the Edge"
Dave Stryker: "Blue to the Bone" , "Big Room"
Lee Konitz: "RichLee"
Steve Lampert: "Venus Perplexed", "Music From There"
Joe Henderson: "The Joe Henderson Big Band"
Clay Jenkins: "Matters Of Time"
Sila Cevikce: "A New Abode"
Aaron Irwin: "Into The Light"
Rich Perry can be heard every Monday night with the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra at the Village Vanguard in New York.
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