Discography
With Triptych
Amusia new
The Hungry Ants
Formic
Myrmidons
Standing Tall
with Tom Arthurs
Mesmer
Leicester-born Richard Fairhurst only took up the piano at the age of 15. His band's debut CD The Hungry Ants went to number 4 in the Virgin national jazz chart in January 1996. The group has also recorded sessions for the BBC, both Radio 2 and the Impressions programme on Radio 3. Saxophonist Iain Ballamy worked with Richard Fairhurst and Tim Giles at Ronnie Scott's in 1994, after receiving a tape via Mark Ballamy, Iain's father. Richard spent six months on a scholarship at the New School in New York in early 1996. He absorbed influences from his peers such as Django Bates and then took the music in his own direction with snatches of up-to-date dance grooves frequently surfacing. In 1994, his trio already including Tim, won the Daily Telegraph Young Jazz Award. Billy Jenkins, on hearing the tape of the band, wrote one word to describe them - 'Fresh'! Richard has already received wide recognition for both his piano playing and his composition. He was runner up (in duo with Tim Giles) at the European Improvisors' competition in Poitiers in 1997 and in 1998 became only the second British Jazz pianist ever to be selected as a Steinway International artist and a finalist at the Montreux Jazz Festival piano competition in 2000.
In 2004 there was some deserved acclaim for Richard when he won the BBC Jazz Awards Best New Work for a 2003 Cheltenham commission Standing Tall. A CD of this significant composition was subsequently released by Babel on CD. And now with Standing Tall's BBC award originally commissioned by the Jerwood Foundation for the Cheltenham International Jazz Festival, Richard is making impressive waves on the contemporary UK jazz and contemporary new music scene .
In 2005 a commission composing a Mass for the 90 voice Oakham Chapel Choir, soprano saxophone, acoustic piano and acoustic bass. The work which lasts 30mins is due to be premiered in the autumn at Lincoln Cathedral. In the same year Richard was approached by the exhibitor to be involved in this project and his music has been included in the exhibition about the influence of Klee's work on the music world which has its grand opening on 20th June 2005. A new Paul Klee Museum, dedicated to the work of the artist is opening in Switzerland. An arts council commission for Richard’s sextet involved a collaboration with a live visual artist (life movie making). The completed work is scheduled for touring throughout the UK in 2006.
Among the 2006 highlights, in June Richard appeared at the Jerusalem Jazz Festival and in August Richard completed a duo recording with Babel's leading young trumpeter/flugelhornist and BBC Jazz Award Best Instrumentalist nominated Tom Arthurs titled Mesmer. It was released on Babel in June 2007.
2009 was an exceptional year of activity and growth for Richard with his new acoustic piano trio Triptych featuring Jasper Hoiby on bass and Chris Vatalaro on drums and as one of the very few jazz musicians appearing at the Proms 2009 in August in duo alongside Babel artist Tom Arthurs the BBC New Generation Artist for Jazz. The duo has gone from strength to strength as well as the Proms performance the duo recently performed a new BBC Commission at the City of London and at the beginning of 2010 the duo performed at Ronnie Scotts in a 'Best of British Jazz' live event which was broadcast on BBC Jazz on 3. The new duo project Postcards from Pushkin will perform at the Bath Festival in May 2010
The new CD set for release in April 2010 by Triptych is called Amusia and is available now to buy online hereCopyright © MCMXCVIII