MUSIC

Jazz Tracks a gift of winds

Photos by John Paquette
Tom Richeson
Associate Professor of Music and  
Jazz Studies Coordinator
University of Arkansas at Little Rock
in the recording studio, 2014
Photos by John Paquette Tom Richeson Associate Professor of Music and Jazz Studies Coordinator University of Arkansas at Little Rock in the recording studio, 2014

Music

Tom Richeson with the Ted Ludwig Trio

Reception at 5:30 p.m. today, concert begins at 7, Studio Theatre/The Lobby Bar, 320 W. Seventh St., Little Rock

Tickets: $10 for happy hour only; $20-$35 for full event

(501) 374-2615

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Tom Richeson is very grateful to fellow musician Ted Ludwig, the former New Orleans guitarist who came to Little Rock after Hurricane Katrina.

"He made me want to start playing music again," says Richeson, associate professor of music and coordinator of jazz studies at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock.

Richeson, who plays trumpet, fluegelhorn and MIDI (musical instrument digital interface) wind controller, among other instruments, says he hadn't been playing live much since the late 1990s.

"Two years ago, I went to see Ted perform and that experience lit the spark again for me. He is brilliant."

That spark led to an album, Jazz Tracks, which features compositions by Richeson and Ludwig and also features drummer Brian Brown and bassist Joe Vick, who work as a trio with Ludwig. Another guest is pianist Charles Thomas.

Richeson and the Ludwig Trio will present their first live performance together today at the Studio Theatre/The Lobby Bar, 320 W. Seventh St., Little Rock. They will play two sets of original music. Five of the songs will be from Jazz Tracks, which will be available at the show.

A member of the Arkansas Jazz Hall of Fame and winner of a National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Fellowship, Richeson founded and directed The Little Rock Jazz Machine from 1985 to 1995. The big band recorded two albums. He also has written text books for his music courses at UALR, which were published by McGraw Hill Learning Solutions.

Richeson has a rich history as a working musician. He studied music and holds music degrees from the University of Tennessee and has toured with The Temptations, Diana Ross, The Jacksons, Lou Rawls and the O'Jays. He has also played shows for Frank Sinatra, Pharoah Sanders, Art Porter Sr. and Art Porter Jr. Along with his current album, he also recorded A Tribute to Jerry Coker, honoring his teacher at the University of Tennessee, in 2005.

While Miles Davis is a longtime favorite and inspiration, Richeson also credits Michael Brecker for his work on the MIDI wind controller. He was introduced to the MIDI by Jim Self, a Los Angeles musician and composer who has played on more than 1,000 film soundtracks. Self, who plays tuba, provided the voice of the mothership in the film Close Encounters of the Third Kind.

Richeson uses the MIDI on most of Jazz Tracks: "It has abilities for expression traditional wind instruments don't. It changed the way I approach creativity."

For that album, Richeson created Journey Suite, Part 1, a five-song work he says "is more about a spiritual connection in my life than anything ... musings about aspects of that discovery."

In recording the suite, Richeson says, "Ted and the other musicians took my work beyond what I expected, beyond what I imagined."

Style on 03/24/2015

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