Richie Beirach

Richie Beirach

Leaving

The new live solo piano album by Richie on Jazzline Records. His first solo piano recording of jazz standards in a long time. 

Recorded in a live concert at Château Fleur Cardinale in Saint-Etienne-de-Lisse, in the St. Emilion region near Bordeaux, France, the album consists of mostly jazz standards and two of Richie’s classic originals.

“Live recording is a very different experience for me from a studio recording. For example: you
can not stop during a live recording! Glenn Gould always talked about the non-take two-ness of a live recording. Glenn hated playing live and retired from playing concerts as soon as he could.

I don’t agree with that at all, I love it. I love the people there, I want them to have an experience with me. At this concert, the audience came with me. There were tears, there were shouts, and there was a standing ovation.”

Richie's interview with Charles Rees about Leaving in the London Jazz News

LondonJazz News: Did you go into this performance intending to record an album, or was it your response after listening back to the recording?

Richie Beirach: Yes, it was going to be a solo piano recording from the beginning. What happened was my friend Jean-Jacques Quesada books gigs in these very fancy chateaus in Bordeaux. He told me about this young couple in Saint-Emilion who own a fantastic chateau – it’s been in the family for years… 

The critics speak

Musicians are storytellers. Richie Beirach has always intuitively understood the art of good storytelling. He knows how to set the stage for the tale, employing the musical equivalent of foreshadowing, when to deploy the element of surprise, how to build tensions, and when to release them in order to keep the listener engaged. On every tune one can hear the spontaneous, yet intentional shaping of story elements designed to sweep the listener into the musical narrative and keep them engaged.
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Brian Whistler
Manafonistas
The result is a small masterpiece that underlines his musical vision and passion for jazz in all its diversity. Beirach convinces with his creative vision and a transcendent understanding of the genre.
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Jürg Sommer
JPC
...this collection of jazz standards he has played innumerable times over his long and illustrious career finds the 75-year-old pianist plumbing new depths of emotion and heights of expression in a highly exploratory program.
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Rough Trade
It is above all Richie Beirach's touch that is heard: the legacy of Bill Evans - and, before him, Debussy and Ravel - in the choice of certain harmonic colors, his taste for meditative atmospheres. "He is a virtuoso, but what we remember most about him is something that goes beyond that: depth, generosity.
Caroline Decoster
Caroline Decoster
Sudouest.fr

When I first thought about what material to perform and record at this concert, I was thinking about all free improvisations or all of my original compositions. 

But than I realized what would be more interesting, because I had never done it before, would be a concert with all standards, and two of my compositions as an encore. These standards I grew up playing, and that I still love to play. 

These standards I chose are not obscure, but these are rather the chestnut warhorses that are very familiar to jazz listeners around the world.


Track List

  1. Nardis (Bill Evans) 7:50
  2. What Is This Thing Called Love? (Cole Porter) 14:22
    Alone Together (Howard Dietz, Arthur Schwartz)
    Blue in Green (Bill Evans, Miles Davis)
  3. Round Midnight (Thelonious Monk) 5:08
  4. On Green Dolphin Street (Bronislaw Kaper) 4:53
  5. Some Other Time (Leonard Bernstein) 7:35
  6. Solar (Miles Davis) 6:24
  7. Spring Is Here (Richard Rodgers, Lorenz Hart) 13:48
    Maiden Voyage (Herbie Hancock)
    Monk’s Dream (Thelonious Monk)
    You Don’t Know What Love Is (Gene de Paul)
  8. Footprints (Wayne Shorter) 3:44
  9. Leaving (Richie Beirach) 13:43
    Sunday Song (Richie Beirach)
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Richie needs your help.

Richie is struggling with serious health issues that have rendered him unable to perform and led to a severe financial crisis. His medical expenses have piled up, with over €16,000 in outstanding bills and additional costs exceeding €100,000. Despite efforts to secure assistance, the situation remains dire, and Richie is unable to manage these overwhelming financial burdens on his own.
 
We have organized a crowdfunding campaign to provide Richie with the financial support he desperately needs. Your generous contributions will help cover his medical bills, daily care expenses, and essential living costs, allowing him to focus on recovery.