Richard Simon

Biography
Articles

Richard left a comfortable position as a college Englishinstructor to pursue the perilous life of a jazz bassist. Hereceivedinstruction from the LA Philharmonic's Abe Luboff, jazzlegend RedCallender, and crossover virtuoso John Clayton, and soonbegan workingwith Buddy Collette, Teddy Edwards, Plas Johnson and ArtHillery. Singers dig him too; he has worked frequently withErnie Andrews, Maxine Weldon, Lorez Alexandria and SueRaney, and occasionally with Keely Smith, Maria Muldaur,and Rosemary Clooney.From be-bop and mainstream jazz, he branched out into"trad" andswing, playing festivals with the likes of Dan Barrett, EdPolcer,Allan Vache, Rebecca Paris, and Joe Ascione. Richardtoured Japan andrecorded with Ken Peplowski's "Last Swing of the Century,"a BennyGoodman-styled big band.His recording highlights include "Bophead," with vibraphonistDave Pike; "Evening Delight," with Plas Johnson, and2006's "How About Me," led by Ernie Andrews & HoustonPerson. He's recorded three--so far--on his own UFO-BASS label: "Groove Therapy," "Covering the Basses," and"Pacific Standard Time." New in summer 2006 is "TheBuddy Collette Big Band - Live at El Camino College" (UFOBass #006). The tape of this performance from 1990 waslost, then found, and fortunately, restored. It features fourof LA's most respected jazz artists--Red Callender (tuba),Thurman Green (trombone), Allen Jackson (bass) andBobby Bryant (trumpet).

Betty Bryant: Nothin' Better To Do...

Read "Nothin' Better To Do..." reviewed by Pierre Giroux

by Pierre Giroux
January 24, 2026

Betty Bryant's nothin' better to do.. radiates the natural confidence of a seasoned club date, where the music speaks for itself. A pianist, singer, and composer whose artistry has been shaped by decades of experience rather than trends (at the impressive age of 96), Bryant brings a storyteller's instinct and a deep respect for melody to this session. Producer Robert Kyle, himself a seasoned saxophonist and flautist, places her in a setting that is both intimate and expansive, featuring a ...

Album Review

Betty Bryant: Lotta Livin'

Read "Lotta Livin'" reviewed by Jack Bowers

by Jack Bowers
February 8, 2024

First, double-check to make sure there aren't any misprints. No, it's an honest-to-goodness fact that Betty Bryant--who sings, plays piano, wrote four of the nine numbers and arranged half a dozen on her fourteenth album--really was almost ninety-four years old when Lotta Livin' was recorded in 2023. Bryant's rough and edgy voice is remarkably strong and steady, while her piano playing simply defies any generational labels. As a vocalist, no note seems out of her reach, and ...

196

Album Review

Richard Simon: Pacific Standard Time

by Jack Bowers
October 1, 2002

If one harbors any doubt that there is life after seventy (or even eighty!) — and an abundance of swinging Jazz to be produced by those who’ve reached those plateaus — he or she need only listen attentively to bassist Richard Simon’s Pacific Standard Time to erase any such misgivings. While Simon himself is a (relatively) young whippersnapper, his guests — guitarist Al Viola and reedman Sam Most — are eighty–three and seventy–one, respectively, and weren’t much younger when PST ...

127

Album Review

Richard Simon: Covering the Basses

by AAJ Staff
March 1, 1999

Here’s a concept album with a fun concept: a melodic bassist playing the compositions of other bassists. Richard Simon has surrounded himself with top West Coast talent (Buddy Collette, Al Viola, Art Hillery) and made a session that shows the group as well as his technique.

It’s a broad spotlight, and everybody gets to shine. Simon’s “Melatonin” uses the chords on “In a Mellow Tone”, and is a relaxed swinger of the old school. Collette struts his confident sax through ...

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Album Review

Richard Simon: Covering the Basses

Read "Covering the Basses" reviewed by Jack Bowers

by Jack Bowers
July 1, 1998

On the second release for his own UFO-Bass label, bassist Richard Simon pays tribute to a number of other well-known timekeepers with a laid-back session whose aura is one of a late-night club date in which everyone is simply having a grand time grooving on the music they love and appreciate. After opening with a pair of disarming originals by Simon ("Melatonin," which brings Duke's “In a Mellow Tone" up to date, and “Theme from Poultry-geist"), the group essays tunes ...