Logan RIchardson

Being a native son of Kansas City, Missouri (b1980) Logan Richardson has always understood the importance of observing, learning, and loving the process of tradition, and all that it entails. Kansas City, a city that propelled the development of improvised music as a whole (1925-38). Creating a nest for the individual artist to develop, in a vibrant economy, and musical social structure that lended itself to create a huge igniting of musical styles largely based around a strong swing and blues element. Logan began playing music at the age of twelve. Of the very first educational experiences in improvised music included learning from the likes of- Max Roach, Jimmy Heath, James Moody, Clark Terry, Ray Brown Shirley Scott, Sir Roland Hanna, Marcus Belgrave, Richard Davis… At the age of sixteen Logan was a featured soloist performing in concert with the Kansas City Symphony Orchestra. Within that same time frame Logan worked with Jimmy Heath in Concert in Small group as well as a Big Band setting. Having the great honor of taking part at The Smithsonian (D.C.) in honor of Duke Ellington’s 100th birthday celebration (’99) as well as being noted in Downbeat Magazine (’99) as “up and coming “ Logan’s first year of post secondary work was done on scholarship attending Berklee College of Music (Boston). Upon completion of his first year he was awarded the Zoot Sims Scholarship (full music scholarship) to attend The New School University in New York, New York (’01). Along with Logan’s musical studies, and development he has apprenticed, studied, and professionally performed woodwind repair on Saxophones, and other woodwind instruments in NYC since 2004. Working in Carl Allen’s “New Spirit” band (’02), Greg Tardy Band (’03-05), Joe Chambers “The Outlaw” Band (’05-07) Nasheet Waits “Equality”(’07-present), Jason Moran “Big Band Wagon”(’07-present) As a consequence Logan has recorded as a sideman on –Joe Chambers “The Outlaw”(’05) Greg Tardy’s “ Steps of Faith (’06) Nasheet Waits “Live From MPC (‘09) NYC Town Hall (’09) Jason Moran’s Big Band Wagon -50th anniversary of Thelonius Monks historic NY TOWN HALL performance. Logan has composed and recorded two albums of original music, and toured as a leader since 2006; his two albums are titled -“ETHOS”(Inner Circle Music); CEREBRAL FLOW”(Fresh Sound-New Talent-). Both albums have received gracious reviews by various editors, and publications:

‘Logan Richardson knows about that hard-to-describe entity known as the “jazz tradition”. (DOWNBEAT MAGAZINE)

“Logan Richardson is a sharp-minded and ambitious young alto saxophonist” (NEW YORK TIMES)

"Logan Richardson’s saxophone playing is incisive, multi-dimensional and remarkably flexible, wrapping and twisting phrases into unexpected origami Shapes- (JAZZ TIMES)

“Logan is an alto adventurer with a seductively quizzical sound, a blend of Ornette glee and Braxton curveball. There's something eerie about the music on the new Ethos, and it gives the disc character. The leader can sound perpetually bittersweet call him the jazz Bon Iver but there’s a mercurial motion that's in place as well.” (Village Voice-NYC)

“Logan Richardson is an enterprising and resourceful young alto player, composer and bandleader. Like his well-received debut, Cerebral Flow (Fresh Sound New Talent, 2007), Ethos—also favoring a concept-driven title—shows off Richardson's ample technique and compositions imbued with feeling.” (All About Jazz-NYC)

Logan was most recently featured in a full page spread in the August 2009 edition of “ DOWN BEAT MAGAZINE”. French magazine “JAZZ MAN” did a feature in July ’07 including him as “one of 10 burning alto saxophonist worldwide”. German Magazine “SONIC MAGAZINE” wrote a feature on him titled “Revolution by Evolution “in the October ’08

Logan has played major festivals all over the world such as: JVC Jazz Fest (NYC 2004): Knitting Factory Winter Jazz Fest. (NYC 2005); Terni Jazz Festival (Italy2007); Foggia Jazz Fest (Italy 2007); The North Sea Jazz Festival (Rotterdam, UK 2008), Ferrara Jazz Festival (Italy 2009); San Francisco Jazz Fest (California2008); Umbria Jazz Festival (Italy2007); Amazon Jazz Fest (Brazil 2009); Jazz a’ Vienne (France2009); Jazz Baltic (Germany2009); Fiemme Jazz Festival (Italy2007); Terrassa Jazz Festival (Italy 2008); Kansas City Blues and Jazz Fest (Kansas City 2001); Marostica Jazz Festival (Italy 2007); Aspen Jazz Festival (Colorado2004