RICHARD SHULMAN
Jazz Bio
Pianist/composer Richard Shulman has been exploring consciousness through Jazz in his recordings, performances and compositions since 1983. The intent behind his music is healing, connection, and the expression of beauty.
Shulman has recorded 23 of his own albums, most of which are available on the label, RichHeart Music. Trained in the classical and jazz fields, he has developed a heartfelt language in these genres while splitting his output between jazz and music for meditation, healing and inspiration.
Shulman has performed at the Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall, Art Park, the United Nations, the Kool Jazz Festival, The Amenia Peace Festival and a wide variety of other venues throughout North America and in Europe.
As a composer, Shulman has created over sixty pieces for jazz groups as well as songs and pieces for chamber ensembles, choir, and symphony orchestra. Commissions include a piece for the Amherst Saxophone Quartet, and "May Peace Prevail on Earth" for singers, symphony orchestra, three choirs, and jazz quartet, created for the World Peace Prayer Society.
Born and raised in Niagara Falls, New York, he began piano lessons at age seven. As a teenager Richard played organ at various churches, was the music counselor at a summer camp in Canada, and joined a rock band with future jazz recording artists Thom Rotella and Bobby Previte. Shulman graduated from the University of Rochester with a double-major Bachelor's degree in music (piano performance) and psychology while continuing to perform with Previte in the jazz-fusion band Thermopylae.
While at Rochester, Shulman also attended the prestigious Eastman School of Music and studied jazz improvisation with Chuck Mangione and Marian McPartland, orchestration with Donald Hunsberger and arranging with the legendary Rayburn Wright. Shulman continued his studies in jazz with Frank Foster while getting his Masters Degree in musical composition at the State University of New York at Buffalo. During those years he played onstage in concert with such jazz stalwarts as Thad Jones, Eddie Gomez, Pepper Adams, Jerry Dodgion, Freddie Hubbard and Al Harewood, and recorded his first jazz album, Wonder.
After moving to New York City, Shulman played in the studio as a session musician with the great jazz rhythm section of Ron Carter and Grady Tate; performed with groups such as The Richard Reiter Swing Band, Providence and Crossing Point; and recorded and performed with the acts Mr. Spats (Steve Evans, June Bisantz, Steve Swallow and Bob Moses) and Bobby Previte(with Dave Hofstra, Tom Varner and Lenny Pickett). The Richard Shulman Group, a jazz quartet, played regularly in the New York area and recorded the albums A Simple Gift and Open Spaces, and Richard also released the solo jazz piano album Solo Flight.
An injury in 1977 led Shulman to begin exploring healing aspects of music, and his studies in healing and meditation have informed his music ever since.
From 1996 through 2005 Richard focused on the creation of the CD and DVD/video Camelot Reawakened: A Vision Fulfilled. Inspired by an inner vision, this project follows the manifestation of "Dreams of the Heart" in music and words. The CD and DVD feature a 35- piece orchestra consisting of members of the Asheville Symphony Orchestra, a choir, soloists, and Shulman at the piano. The concert and recording session were conducted by Robert Hart Baker.
Related albums recorded during this time include the Healing Touch CD First Rites and a musical aid to introspection, Music to Walk the Labyrinth. The Camelot Reawakened CD won a 2003 Coalition of Visionary Resources (COVR) Visionary Award, and the DVD was a finalist in the 2006 awards. The DVD has also won an Award of Excellence and an honorable mention in the 2007 Accolade Competition.
A concert in 2008 with bassist Mike Holstein and drummer Sonny Thornton led Shulman to realize that this trio had the sympatico to become his regular group. 2009 brought the release of Sky Jazz, the Richard Shulman Trio's first CD.
Richard Shulman currently resides in Asheville, NC and tours and records nationally.
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For more information contact:
RichHeart Music, 419 Creekside Dr, Asheville, NC 28804
Phone: 828-658-9604 and 888-699-3682
e-mail: info@richheartmusic.com, richheartmusic@verizon.net
Web site: http://www.richheartmusic.com
Mike Holstein
Bassist/composer Mike Holstein has been playing music since early
childhood. His first instruments were guitar, violin, piano and drums.
It wasn't until he was attending Western Carolina University that he
discovered the bass. His affinity for the instrument was immediately
apparent. Within a few years he was performing regularly and became one
of the most sought after bassists in the Southeast. From the beginning
he was writing his own music. He joined the creative young jazz group,
the Taken Back Quartet. This ensemble soon became a fixture on the
thriving Asheville music scene. They played to a loyal almost cult-like
following.
In 2001, the members of the quartet along with Sharon LaMotte formed
the Jazz Composers Forum, a non-profit organization dedicated to the
presentation and documentation of original, instrumental jazz. The
Forum became a mainstay of the local music fabric as Mike and the Taken
Back Quartet accompanied guest composers in concert presentations.
Mike's involvement grew with the forum whose activities now include
workshops, presentations in grade schools and tours of venues
throughout the region. He has presented his own music multiple times as
leader and in the capacity of ?Composer-in-Residence?. Since
2004, Mike has been a member of the band Cotangent, a New York based
group led by pianist/composer Bill Gerhardt. He has played on two
recordings with this band, ?Stained Glass? and ?Thrive?. He also
appears on Tony Moreno?s ?Trio Music? (Art of Life Records). He has
performed with Joe Locke, Ingrid Jensen, Randy Brecker, Frank
Kimbrough, Kendra Shank, Ron Horton, Marc Mommaas and Tim Horner among
others. A truly gifted musician, Mike is finding himself more in demand
than ever as he performs in jazz clubs in New York, throughout the
Carolinas and continues to be a force with the Jazz Composers Forum. Mike Holstein's MY SPACE URL is http://www.myspace.com/mikeholstein
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Photos by Katie O'Shea, Tebbe Davis and Larry White
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One of the south's most creative, intuitive musicians, Sonny Thornton is a master drummer. Born in the District of Columbia, he was exposed to music at a very young age. Living in New York City while his mother furthered her education, Sonny heard the music at one of it's sources. After moving to New Orleans, he learned from the players and atmosphere in the Crescent City, widely acknowledged as the birthplace of jazz. While living there, he developed a friendship with Ed Blackwell, one of the most influential drummers of Twentieth Century. Ed's influence on Sonny's concept of music is undeniable. Thornton is extremely sensitive to the needs of the music and can be understated in his approach just as Blackwell was. Sonny's sense of freedom and his melodic style of soloing also sets him apart from most drummers performing today. Upon relocating to South Carolina, Sonny embarked on his long career of making music in the purist sense. He has performed with innumerable artists, both regionally and nationally known. Groups of most every format from organ trios to big bands to recent drum and keyboard duets with Bill Gerhardt have crossed Sonny's path. When you experience one of his performances, you will hear one of the world's truly gifted musicians, Sonny Thornton.
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