Tim Richards - 8/2/2014

This was another 'special' at King's Place for Tim following the anniversary gig in 2012. This time the first set was a solo piano set playing a range of songs from Thelonius Monk and Duke Ellington to a Latin piece, 'Summertime' and Tim's own compositions. It was great to hear the full-on sound of the grand piano and to immerse yourself into a varied mix of tunes. I always have the feeling that there is a hint of boogie-woogie bubbling under when Tim plays and that came through to me as he played the solo set. There was some sax on one track and trumpet on one other. Apart from that it was just Tim and the Steinway. The second set was played by a six piece band consisting of musicians Tim has played with over the years. Perhaps the most well-known were the brass musicians, Dick Pierce on trumpet and Ed Jones on sax but also taking the limelight at the gig was vibes player Ralph Wild. I particularly enjoyed the 'Shamanism Suite' and the encore 'Ticket to Tomorrow' which featured a sparkling solo from Ralph Wild. The audience loved the gig and so did I.