Without a doubt, Leo Richardson is widely recognised to be one of London’s leading Jazz Tenor Saxophonists, best known for his honest, straight-ahead, contemporary hard-bop style. His most significant influences include John Coltrane, Joe Henderson, Dexter Gordon, Horace Silver and Art Blakey.
Some of Leo’s notable performance, touring and recording credits include: Kylie Minogue, Jamie Cullum, Gregory Porter, TLC, The Temptations, The Four Tops, Heritage Orchestra, Candi Staton, Ronnie Scott’s Allstars, Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Orchestra, Submotion Orchestra, Mulatu Astatke, Clare Teal, Alan Skidmore, Eric Alexander, Joe Sanders, Willie Jones III, Dan Nimmer, Gary Husband, Norma Winstone.
Leo’s quartet consists of killer artists who are all standouts in their own right. Rick Simpson, winner of the Yamaha Scholarship Prize for Outstanding Jazz Musicians, resides on piano. Tim Thornton, one of the most sought-after young musicians of his generation, drives a hugely vibrant, powerful double bass. And, in keeping with the talent in this line-up, the exceedingly diverse Ed Richardson rounds things off on drums.
In 2017, The Leo Richardson Quartet toured the UK in November-December, in support of their debut album, The Chase, on Ubuntu Music. The album was selected by The Times newspaper as one of the Top 10 Jazz Albums of 2017 and one of the Top 100 Albums of all music genres. The Chase was the first album to receive 5* from The Sunday Guardian/Observer. The success of the album and the tour led to the Quartet’s debut performance at the 2018 Love Supreme Jazz Festival. The Leo Richardson Quartet released their second album Move in 2019 to critical acclaim, receiving 5* in BBC Music Magazine.
Line-up:
Leo Richardson – Sax
Rick Simpson – Piano
Tim Thornton – Bass
Tim Giles – Drums