Richard Fairhurst / Inside Out
Release Date: 14th June 2024
CD, Digital & Vinyl Formats / UBU0161
Richard Fairhurst (Photographer: Monika S Jakubowska)
Ubuntu Music is delighted to announce the signing of pianist/composer Richard Fairhurst, for the release of his upcoming album, Inside Out.
Richard describes his upcoming project: “This latest release with my longstanding trio with Dave Whitford on bass and Tim Giles on drums has been in the making for some time now. The album is the culmination of how the music and the trio have evolved together. I’ve always been drawn to the sonic blend and warmth of the acoustic piano trio and the many possibilities for exploration it creates. This project showcases a collection of my original compositions that delve into diverse musical landscapes alongside two covers by the great composer Carla Bley, who is a favourite composer of mine. The concept behind this record was to bring together my own compositional style and explore the world of free improvisation that I have become increasingly drawn to. There are structured composed pieces with intricate harmonies, melodies and rhythmic complexities, with each track reflecting unique facets of my musical journey - ‘Inside Out’ represents where I stand creatively as a pianist and composer to date.”
Richard Fairhurst (Photographer: Monika S Jakubowska)
Richard continues, describing the nature of the music: “The wide tapestry of sounds on ‘Inside Out’ reflects many of my musical influences as a pianist. I’ve always strived to find my own voice when it comes to composition and improvisation, and this comes into focus with the music recorded here. The album features my original compositions and two arrangements of tunes penned by the legendary Carla Bley. The album blends intricate melodies, evocative harmonies and energetic grooves alongside pieces where space becomes the sonic focus. When we play as a trio there is always a sense of exploration and freedom within the music and this feeling is what makes this band, and this record a special one for me.”
Richard comments on his new relationship with the Ubuntu Music record label: “I am thrilled to be collaborating with Ubuntu Music for my new release ‘Inside Out’. Joining a label that has a commitment to diverse and groundbreaking music is an exciting new chapter in my musical journey. Ubuntu’s passion for promoting innovative sounds aligns with my own creative vision and I look forward to working with a label that promises to be a platform for my future artistic growth.”
Richard Fairhurst (Photographer: Monika S Jakubowska)
Martin Hummel, Director of Ubuntu Music, concludes: “We’re so pleased to be representing “Inside Out’, Richard’s latest project. His compositional prowess and his performance are exceptional and are sure to please a wide variety of jazz listeners. We very much look forward to bringing this exceptional trio music to the broadest audience possible. We welcome Richard into the Ubuntu Music Family.”
For further information, please contact:
Richard Fairhurst (Artist): rpfairhurst@mac.com
Emma Perry/UK Publicity: emmasarahperry@gmail.com
Martin Hummel/Ubuntu Music (Worldwide): martin@ubuntumanagementgroup.com
RICHARD FAIRHURST BIOGRAPHY
Steinway artist Richard Fairhurst is one of the UK’s leading jazz pianists & composers. He released his first album to critical acclaim when just 19 and has worked with many of the top names in jazz today.
Richard released three albums as leader of the band ‘The Hungry Ants’ which also featured renowned saxophonist Iain Ballamy. He won the Pat Smythe award for young musicians of outstanding talent and received a scholarship to study jazz and improvised music at the New School University in New York where he studied with Kenny Werner, Fred Hersch and Reggie Workman.
He has been a Steinway Artist since 1998, had a residency at Ronnie Scotts at the age of 20 and reached the final of the Montreux Jazz Festival’s Solo Piano Competition.
Since this early success he has gone on to perform throughout the UK and at Jazz Festivals worldwide including Jerusalem, Copenhagen, Cologne, Vienna, Glasgow, Cheltenham Jazz festival, Bath festival and Senegal where he supported Joe Zawinul.
He has made numerous appearances on radio including BBC’s Jazz On 3, In Tune, Jazz Line-Up and Loose Ends and was selected as one of two artists representing the future of British jazz for a BBC documentary about jazz in the UK.
Richard was commissioned to write new music for the Cheltenham International Jazz Festival which won the BBC Jazz Award for Best New Work. This music for sextet was released on his fourth album as leader ‘Standing Tall’.
As an educator and someone who believes strongly in passing on his skills and teaching young musicians to play Jazz Richard has taught at the Royal Academy of Music, the Guildhall School of Music & Drama and the Trinity Laban Conservatoire of music in London. He also curated his own jazz course for young musicians, which was commissioned by the Richard Attenborough Centre and ran across selected schools around the UK.
Richard made three highly acclaimed duet albums with Berlin based trumpet player Tom Arthurs, ‘Mesmer’, ‘Postcards From Pushkin’ and ‘One Year’. The duo went from strength to strength with a BBC commission for the ‘City of London Festival’ and a performance at the BBC Proms. They also performed at Ronnie Scotts for BBC Jazz on 3‘s live radio broadcast celebrating Jazz in Britain.
He then went on to release a trio record,‘Triptych’ with Danish bass player Jasper Hoiby and New York drummer Chris Vatalaro.
Richard also worked with the great pianist John Taylor in a two-piano duet. They performed at the ‘Steinway 2 Pianos Festival’ several times and John invited Richard to perform with him at his 70th birthday concert broadcast live from the BBC on Radio 3’s ‘Jazz Line-up’. They released their debut album ‘Duets’ on Basho Records.
Most recently Richard has been consistently writing and performing with his trio featuring Dave Whitford on Bass and Tim Giles on Drums, their new album ‘Inside Out’ is due for release on Ubuntu Music in June this year.
PRESS QUOTES
‘One of the UK’s most inventive pianists’ - The Guardian
‘Richard Fairhurst has a rabid imagination’ - Time Out
‘Award-winning pianist Fairhurst is a powerful keyboard virtuoso capable of both meditation and funkiness, but he is as sophisticated a composer as he is a player’ - The Guardian
‘Fairhurst’s piano playing is always luminous and lyrical’ - The Times
‘Fairhurst plays with great understanding, and has a hint of Bill Evans in his ability to play with intensity in a free, loose form’ - Mojo Magazine
‘Fairhurst shows great ingenuity and the interplay between himself and the band is always invigorating’ - Daily Telegraph
‘The technical standard is enviably high, and Fairhurst’s music expresses its own identity. Fairhurst slots neatly into the lineage of Brad Mehldau, Keith Jarrett and Chick Corea’ - BBC Music
‘An impressive display of inventiveness and musicality. This is a virtuoso line-up’ - All About Jazz
‘This trio is right up there with the best of them, Fairhurst is a fiercely individual and very British talent’ - The Jazzmann
‘A welcome and distinctive addition to the crowded piano-trio scene’ Jazzwise
‘An individual prescence on the UK jazz scene. Piano trios are plentiful at the moment, but Fairhurst and co. Succeed in finding their own absorbing niche’ - The List
Richard Fairhurst (Photographer: Monika S Jakubowska)