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Radam Schwartz

Radam Schwartz was born and raised in the New York City area. In high school he played saxophone and keyboards in pop and soul bands. After high school he became interested in jazz and made piano his main instrument. He attended Long Island University in Brooklyn for a year and started attending jam sessions in Brooklyn. Later he went to Boston to study at Berklee School of Music on a summer scholarship,and after two semesters, stopped attending working in a restaurant,and selling papers on the street, and practicing piano. Finally Radam got a few gigs, rock and jazz including a brief stint in Charlie Mariano's fusion band.

After 3 years he moved back to New York and graduated from Hofstra University. In 1975,he moved to New Jersey to study at Rutgers with Kenny Barron. He was working with Ron Carter at that time and was rarely there, but he started working with a group called the Neo Bop Crisis Committee which had Russell Branca on bass, Michael Ridley on trumpet, Renaldo Joge on trombone, Stan Bielski and Rick Johnson on Saxophones, and Freddie Lopez-Cepero on drums.

Eventually Radam joined tenor saxophonist Jimmy Ford's band, and traveled the East Coast with him. He got to meet all the cats on the Newark jazz scene. This included one of his mentors, Duke Anderson, who was a legend in Newark. He played piano like Art Tatum and organ like Wild Bill Davis and Radam became the pianist in his big band, The New Jersey Contemporary Orchestra. It was in this big band that Radam met Jimmy Anderson, Woody Shaw, Bill Codey, Harold van Pelt, Leslie Ford, Charlie Mason, Al Patterson, Grachun Moncur, Vinnie Burke and many others. After being on the road (including Europe) with Al Hibbler, Radam returned back to New Jersey. He was invited to a jam session by Mickey Tucker. He knew Mickey was a great pianist but did not know that the session was an organ hit. When he got up to play he didn't even know the black keys were pre-sets. A friend, Alan Watson pulled his coat to a few things and eventually helped him purchase a Vicount portable organ. Watson was also learning how to play organ at the time, and both spent hours shedding and talking on the phone. Radam considers him important in his developing into an organist. He also turned him onto his first organ gigs. The first was with Chico Rouse and Tommy Labella at Sir Kyles in Seaside Heights (Jersey shore). They were working in Charles Earland's band at that time and "were ready to kill me or hire a bass player." But they worked together eventually for many years. The other gig was at Mr. Wess with Leo Johnson. That night Charlie Mason came in and hired Radam to work at El Cs every Monday which he did for almost 6 months.

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2
Album Review

The Radam Schwartz Organ Big Band: Message from Groove and GW

Read "Message from Groove and GW" reviewed by Jack Bowers


Liner notes notwithstanding, the alliance of a big band and organ is hardly unique—Jimmy Smith, Richard “Groove" Holmes and Joey DeFrancesco are organ maestros who have been there and done that; even the great Oscar Peterson once dipped his toes into that water. Having said that, organist Radam Schwartz and his power-laden New Jersey-based ensemble do the concept proud on Message from Groove and GW, burning on all cylinders and swinging as hard and as often as any band has ...

151
Album Review

Radam Schwartz: Songs for the Soul

Read "Songs for the Soul" reviewed by Edward Blanco


Hammond B3 organist/pianist Radam Schwartz has an impressive discography, appearing on over 35 albums of primarily instrumental music as both a sideman and leader. Songs for the Soul is a departure from past recordings in that it reveals his most extensive association with the vocal side of jazz to date. For this unique endeavor, Schwartz combines forces with New York vocalist Miles Griffith, along with background singers Kelsey Jillette, Cynthia Holiday, Gary Oleyar and Marcelino Feliciano. Providing the music is ...

459
Album Review

Radam Schwartz: Blues Citizens

Read "Blues Citizens" reviewed by Woodrow Wilkins


One of the cool things about the relationship between jazz and blues is that both genres grew from the same emotional roots. At times, the only clear distinction is a subtle change in how notes are played. Is it jazz that sounds like the blues, or is it blues that sounds like jazz? On Hammond organist Radam Schwartz's Blues Citizens, the answer could be either--or both. Schwartz has decades of experience, having worked with artists including David “Fathead" ...

467
Album Review

Radam Schwartz / Conspiracy for Positivity: Magic Tales

Read "Magic Tales" reviewed by Larry Taylor


In Magic Tales, organist Radam Schwartz and Conspiracy For Positivity have delivered jazz to enjoy--straight-ahead, spiced with funk, with creativity to burn.

Like many jazz musicians today, Schwartz also teaches--in his case as a director of the Jazz Institute of New Jersey--while keeping his hand in performing with side gigs. For a number of years, he has led groups composed of former students, with Magic Tales the second release by the current Conspiracy quintet.

Schwartz has been around some 25 ...

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182

Recording

Radam Schwartz Features the Hammond B3 on New Release Blues Citizens

Radam Schwartz Features the Hammond B3 on New Release Blues Citizens

Source: Jim Eigo, Jazz Promo Services

Radam Schwartz his many talents are completely engaged on the new release Blues Citizens.

Radam's prolific career has led to many successful recordings. His own Organized (Muse Records) was mentioned in the B3 Bible as one of the essential organ records of all time. He also has been featured on Cecil Brooks III and the CBIII band, For Those Who Love to Groove (Savant Records).

Now with several decades behind him playing with greats like David Fathead Newman, Eddie Lockjaw ...

Primary Instrument

Organ, Hammond B3

Credentials/Background

http://www.radamschwartzjazz.com

Music

Recordings: As Leader | As Sideperson

Message from Groove...

Arabesque Jazz
2020

buy

Songs for the Soul

Arabesque Jazz
2010

buy

Blues Citizens

Savant Records
2009

buy

Magic Tales

Arabesque Jazz
2008

buy

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