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Richard "Cookie" Thomas
A versatile vocalist, and an undiscovered treasure, Richard Thomas’ career began in Philadelphia in 1960 when he had the opportunity, at fourteen, to open for B.B. King.
Richard current CD Touch You With A Song, produced and arranged by Pianist John di Martino, is a compliment to his current collection, which includes: The Pleasure Of Your Company and Holiday Classics, both arranged by Pianist Lynne Arriale.
Richard’s voice is especially suited to well-known classic standards. Richard draws his inspiration from the likes of Nat King Cole, Frank Sinatra, and Johnny Hartmann. In fact, you can hear a bit of each one when Richard sings.
Richard currently performs at Soundwaters Community Center in Stamford CT., which are home based. Additionally, he performs at the well-known Silvermine Tavern in Norwalk Connecticut, Sage American Grill & Oyster Bar in New Haven Connecticut, the Doral Arrowwood in Rye Brook NY, the Levitt Pavilion in Westport CT, Szechuan Tokyo in West Hartford, the Jackie Robinson Jazz Festival in Norwalk CT; the Rich Forum & Palace theaters in Stamford CT, and Danny’s Skylight room in Nyc., as well as the Carlyle, and Waldorf Astoria hotels in Nyc. He has also performed for the Christopher Reeves Foundation and Pitney Bowes, Inc. Richard has shared the stage with famed Pianist Sarah Jane Cion, winner of the 1999 Great American Jazz Piano competition. Richard also performs with Guitarist Chris Morrison, Carmine Marino and John Cain. Jazz Pianists Alan Simon, Danny Mixon, Rob Silvan, David Epstein, Chris Casey, Jay Rowe and Joe McWilliams. Drummers include Bobby Leonard, Don Mulvaney, and Arti Dixon, who toured with Ahmid Jamal. He is also performed with Saxophonists Marion Meadows, Houston Pearson, Lonnie Youngblood, and Ken Gioffre of AWB. Richard’s also performed with famed Bassist Phil Bowler, who accompanied Horace Silver, as well as Bill Conway. Additionally, He had the opportunity to perform with the world famous Joyce DiCamillo Trio. Richard’s performances also include the Oaks Garden Theatre in Niagara Falls and the Registry Resort Hotel in Naples Florida and the Liberty Theatre in Sun Valley Idaho.
Richard has studied voice with screenplay writer Jay Fredrick’s of Westport Connecticut, Vocal Coach Jackie Presti of NYC, and Voices International of NYC. Richard also provides vocal coaching to several seasoned and non-seasoned singers. Richard maintains close relationship with Edge Studio of Fairfield Connecticut, one of the area’s leading recourses for voice-over education, as well as the well-known Carriage House Studio of Stamford Connecticut.
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Lizzie Thomas Redefines Holiday Jazz With 'This Christmas'
Source:
Cyber PR
Acclaimed jazz vocalist Lizzie Thomas rings in the holiday season with This Christmas. This is a radiant collection of holiday classics and originals that blend jazz, Neo-soul, and R&B with her signature sound. Released via Dot Time Records, the album features a stellar lineup of musicians, including John Di Martino (piano), Wayne Escoffery (saxophone), Dezron Douglas and Noriko Ueda (bass), Kevin Sibley (B3 Hammond), Leandro Pellegrino (acoustic guitar), and Neal Smith (drums). The lead single is a sultry rendition of ...
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Camilo Valencia, Richard Bravo And Alex Sino Achieved Double Victory At The 24th Annual Latin Grammy Awards With 'Made In Miami'
Source:
Dr. Alex Sino
In a remarkable achievement at 24th Annual Latin GRAMMY Awards in Sevilla, the critically acclaimed album Camilo Valencia, Richard Bravo—Made In Miami produced by Camilo Valencia, Richard Bravo and Alex Sino secured two Latin Grammy Awards: Best Instrumental Album and Best Arrangement for “Songo Bop" featuring Milton Salcedo. This double win underscores the exceptional artistry and innovation encapsulated in"Made In Miami." The album, a vibrant celebration of Miami's musical diversity, seamlessly blends genres such as pop, jazz, funk, R&B, BeBop, ...
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Jazz Musician of the Day: Richard "Groove" Holmes
Source:
Michael Ricci
All About Jazz is celebrating Richard “Groove" Holmes' birthday today!
Richard Arnold “Groove" Holmes, Born Richard Arnold Jackson (Camden, New Jersey) was a jazz organist who performed in the hard bop and soul jazz genre. He is best known for his 1965 recording of “Misty," and is considered a precursor of acid jazz. Holmes burst onto the music scene in the early 1960s (his first album, on Pacific Jazz with guest Ben Webster was recorded in March 1961). An African-American, ...
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Richard X Bennett & Matt Parker Bring Their All-Encompassing Musical Visions Together With 'Parker Plays X,' Set For Release May 5 By BYNK Records
Source:
Terri Hinte Publicity
Friends and collaborators Richard X Bennett and Matt Parker heighten their creative relationship with the May 5 release of their album Parker Plays X on BYNK Records (Because You Never Know). The record finds pianist-composer Bennett and saxophonist Parker co-leading a session for the first time as they—along with bassist Adam Armstrong and drummer Julian Edmond—explore a dozen Bennett compositions that range from straight-ahead bebop to avant-garde freakouts to classic jump blues, among other styles. Both musicians embrace this kind ...
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Steel Pan Jazz Virtuoso Leon Foster Thomas Releases Uplifting New Album 'Calasanitus'
Source:
Scott Thompson Public Relations
March 2023 marks the release of Calasanitus, the new album by Leon Foster Thomas. As one of the leading steel pan jazz virtuosos in the world, Foster has gained global recognition via a plethora of accolades including winning both the solo and duet competitions at the World Steelband Music Festival, as well as releasing a series of critically acclaimed albums, most recently Metamorphosis on respected label Ropadope Records. Now he is set to showcase his inimitable talent once again, with ...
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Backgrounder: Shorty Rogers Plays Richard Rodgers
Source:
JazzWax by Marc Myers
With spring less than a week away, it's time for upbeat West Coast jazz. The last time I posted on Shorty Rogers was over the holidays when I highlighted The Swingin' Nutcracker. Before that, I featured Chances Are It Swings as a Backgrounder. This week, it's the finger-snapping Shorty Rogers Plays Richard Rodgers, as suggested by Todd Selbert. Recorded in the winter of 1957 between January and April, the album for RCA is a swinger loaded with top West Coast ...
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Jazz Musician of the Day: Muhal Richard Abrams
Source:
Michael Ricci
All About Jazz is celebrating Muhal Richard Abrams' birthday today!
Muhal Richard Abrams..... World renowned pianist and composer has been in the forefront of the contemporary music scene for well over forty years. Muhal is a co-founder of The Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM), founder of The AACM School of Music and President of The Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians, New York City Chapter. Muhal was the first recipient of the grand international jazz award, ...
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Maripat Davis And Richard Osborn Are Proud To Announce The Release Of The Duet Recording, 'Here's To Love'
Source:
Lampkin Publicity Service
Here's To Love is a collection of material from the worlds of Pop, Musical Theater, R&B, Country, and the Great American Songbook. Selections include “Old Devil Moon" and “This Could Be the Start of Something Big,” to the country flavored version of “Son of A Preacher Man" and the fun duet “I Wish I Were In Love Again/I'll Never Fall in Love Again," to the cool new arrangement of the R&B song “All of Me." “Here's To Love" features solos ...
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Jazz Musician of the Day: Richard "Groove" Holmes
Source:
Michael Ricci
All About Jazz is celebrating Richard “Groove" Holmes' birthday today!
Richard Arnold “Groove" Holmes, Born Richard Arnold Jackson (Camden, New Jersey) was a jazz organist who performed in the hard bop and soul jazz genre. He is best known for his 1965 recording of “Misty," and is considered a precursor of acid jazz. Holmes burst onto the music scene in the early 1960s (his first album, on Pacific Jazz with guest Ben Webster was recorded in March 1961). An African-American, ...
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G. Thomas Allen Is The Winner Of The 10th Annual Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition as part of NJPAC’s TD James Moody Jazz Festival
Source:
AMT Public Relations
At a star-studded, sold-out performance held yesterday afternoon on the NJPAC stage, G. Thomas Allen (Chicago, IL) was announced the winner of the 10th Annual Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition. This marks the first time a male vocalist won the contest. Hosted by NJPAC’s Jazz Advisor and multi-Grammy-winning bassist Christian McBride, “The SASSY Awards” featured performances by the competition’s five finalists as well as a special appearance by one of today’s top jazz vocalists, Dianne Reeves. The contenders took ...
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