* En anglais uniquement
Jerome Richardson was always a talented jazz improviser coming out of the bop tradition, displaying individuality on each of his reeds. But because he spent most of his career as a studio musician, he often maintained a low profile in the jazz world.
Richardson started on alto when he was eight, was playing in public by the time he was 14, and later attended San Francisco State College. The years 1942-1945 were spent in the military, often working in a dance band led by
Marshall Royal. He picked up experience playing with the bands of
Lionel Hampton (1949-1951) and
Earl Hines (1952-1953) before moving to New York.
Richardson freelanced throughout the 1950s, gigging with
Lucky Millinder,
Cootie Williams,
Oscar Pettiford,
Chico Hamilton,
Gerry Mulligan, and
Gerald Wilson, among others. He toured Europe with
Quincy Jones' ill-fated Free and Easy orchestra during 1959-1960 and was the lead altoist and soprano with
the Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Orchestra from 1965-1970. After he moved to Hollywood in 1971,
Richardson primarily worked as a studio musician, often for
Quincy Jones, although he resurfaced as a jazz player on an occasional basis.
Richardson led a pair of sessions for New Jazz in 1958-1959 (during which he played tenor, flute, and baritone) that were reissued in the Original Jazz Classics series, and was on many sessions in the 1950s, including dates with
Kenny Burrell. Further dates were made as a leader for United Artists (1962) and
Verve (1967), by which time he was also playing soprano; the latter features his original tune "Groove Merchant."
Richardson resurfaced as a session leader on the 1997
TCB release
Jazz Station Runaway, also featuring pianist
Dave Hazeltine, guitarist
Russell Malone, bassist
George Mraz, and drummer
Lewis Nash.
Jerome Richardson died June 23, 2000 in Englewood, New Jersey at the age of 79. ~ Scott Yanow