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Richard Redding

Richard Redding is a Philadelphia-based saxophonist: blues, rock, inprovisation

About Me

Richard Redding is a saxophonist living in the Chestnut Hill section of Philadelphia. His father was a talented sax player who enjoyed the “big band” style of music. A native of Glenside PA, Richard played sax, clarinet, oboe and recorder as a youth. Mr. Redding has been performing in rock bands, blues bands and various small ensembles for almost 50 years. An experienced professional musician, he is particularly skilled in improvising and jamming. Mr. Redding would like to express his sincere gratitude to the bandleaders and singer-songwriters who have invited him onto the performance stage: Chris Marceill, Jake Michael, Ben Arnold, Zan Gardner, Tom Gala, Richard Dreuding, Jim Harris, Buzz Shortland, Bruce McFarland, Susan Lembo, Grant Fox, Jay Klales, Jay Popky, Kyle Roth, and Joseph Parsons. The friendships are just as important as the music. More “thank-yous” go out to the musicians who have so generously invited Richard into the recording studio: Chris Marsceill, Jake Michael and Pam Graboyes. Richard is married to Madeleine Nist. His son and daughter, Blake and Alison, have careers in the education field. Blake is a singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and recording artist. His 2009 debut album of original songs, entitled, “Blake Redding,” is available at blakeredding.com, or you can listen to Blake’s channel on Pandora.

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My Jazz Story

I love jazz because... of "Compared to What," by Les McCann and Eddie Harris I was first exposed to jazz... by Quincy Jones' song, "Killer Joe." I met the Reverend Chris Marsceill at one of his gigs, loved his music, and now I am in his band! I met Grover Washington Jr. because my wife taught his kids in school ... and I spent a day at Grover's house hanging out by the pool. The best show I ever attended was... David Sanborn at Bethlehem Musikfest... or maybe it was Spyro Gyra at a little club on South Street in Philly. The first jazz record I bought was... Quincy Jones/ Killer Joe My advice to new listeners...no rules! Follow your heart and your soul. There are so many kinds of jazz, and the term jazz is used so often that it can be confusing. I strongly prefer jazz that has a solid rhythm, such as New Orleans-style jazz, or Ray Charles' music. Straight-ahead jazz by artists such as Monk or McCoy Tyner holds little appeal for me. When people hear that I play sax, they always assume I play jazz. However, my adopted instrument is also important in rock and the blues, and a lot of jazz crosses over into these other genres.