Richie Beirach

Richard Alan Beirach (born 23 May 1947) is an American jazz pianist and composer.

Richie Beirach
Richie Beirach in the 1980s
Background information
Birth name	Richard Alan Beirach
Born	(1947-05-23) 23 May 1947 (age 77) New York City, New York, U.S.
Genres	Jazz
Occupation(s)	Musician, composer
Instrument	Piano
Years active	1972–present
Labels	ECM
Website	richiebeirach.com

Early life

Beirach was born in New York City. He initially studied both classical music and jazz. While still attending high school, he took lessons from pianist Lennie Tristano.^[1] Beirach later entered the Berklee College of Music. After one year, he left Berklee and began attending the Manhattan School of Music. While there, he studied with Ludmila Ulehla. In 1972, he graduated with a master's degree in Music Theory and Composition.

Career

In 1972, Beirach began working with Stan Getz. He also worked with Chet Baker. Beirach has maintained an ongoing musical partnership with David Liebman from the late-1960s to the present in the groups Lookout Farm and Quest. In addition, Liebman and Beirach have frequently performed and recorded as a duo.

Several of Beirach's compositions – "Leaving" and "Elm", for instance – have found their way into the jazz standard repertoire.^{[citation needed]}

Playing style

Beirach's style is influenced by Art Tatum, Bill Evans, McCoy Tyner, Chick Corea, and his earlier classical training.^{[citation needed]}

Discography

As leader/co-leader

Year recorded	Title	Label	Personnel/Notes
1974	Eon	ECM	Trio, with Frank Tusa (bass), Jeff Williams (drums)
1975	Methuselah	Trio	Trio, with Frank Tusa (bass, electric bass), Jeff Williams (drums)
1975	Forgotten Fantasies	A&M Horizon	Duo, with Dave Liebman (tenor sax, soprano sax, echoplex, phase shifter, alto flute)
1975	Sunday Song	Trio	Duo, with Frank Tusa (bass)
1976	Zal	Trio	One track solo piano; three tracks duo, with Yoshiaki Masuo [ja] (guitar); two tracks duo with Terumasa Hino (flugelhorn, trumpet)
1976	Leaving	Trio/Storyville	Duo, with Jeremy Steig (alto flute, soprano flute, bass flute, piccolo)
1977	Hubris	ECM	Solo piano
1978	Omerta	Trio/Storyville	Duo, with Dave Liebman (tenor sax, soprano sax, alto flute)
1978	Kahuna	Trio	One track solo piano; one track duo, with Masahiko Togashi (percussion)
1979	Elm	ECM	Trio, with George Mraz (bass), Jack DeJohnette (drums)
1981	Elegy for Bill Evans	Palo Alto	Trio, with George Mraz (bass), Al Foster (drums)
1981	Rendezvous	IPI	Duo, with George Mraz (bass)
1981	Live in Tokyo: Solo Concert	Break Time	Solo piano; in concert; also released by PJL as Complete Solo Concert 1981 with two extra tracks
1982	Breathing of Statues	Magenta/CMP	Solo piano
1983	Continuum	Baybridge/Eastwind	Solo piano
1984	Ayers Rock	Polydor	Trio, with Terumasa Hino (trumpet), Masahiko Togashi (percussion)
1985	Antarctica	Pathfinder	Solo piano
1985	Double Edge	Storyville	Duo, with Dave Liebman
1985	The Duo: Live	Advance	Duo, with Dave Liebman
1986	Ballads	Sony Japan	Solo piano
1987	Ballads 2	Sony Japan	Solo piano
1987?	Water Lilies: Richie Beirach Plays Musical Portraits of Claude Monet	Sony Japan
1987	Emerald City	Pathfinder/Evidence	Duo, with John Abercrombie (guitar synth)
1987	Common Heart	Owl	Solo piano
1989	Some Other Time: A Tribute to Chet Baker	Triloka	With Randy Brecker (trumpet, flugelhorn), Michael Brecker (tenor sax), John Scofield (guitar), George Mraz (bass), Adam Nussbaum (drums)
1989?	Chant	CMP	Duo, with Dave Liebman
1990	Convergence	Triloka	Duo, with George Coleman (tenor sax, soprano sax)
1990	Inamorata	EAU	Solo piano
1990	Self Portraits	CMP	Solo piano
1990–91	Sunday Songs	Blue Note	Solo piano
1991	Themes and Impromptu Variations	EAU	Solo piano
1992	The Duo Session	Nabel	Duo, with Laurie Antonioli (vocals)
1992	Richie Beirach at Maybeck	Concord Jazz	Solo piano; in concert
1992	Too Grand	SteepleChase	Duo, with Andy LaVerne (piano)
1993	Universal Mind	SteepleChase	Duo, with Andy LaVerne (piano)
1993	Trust	Evidence	Trio, with Dave Holland (bass), Jack DeJohnette (drums)
1994	Solo Piano Recital: Live in Japan	Label Les Jungle	Solo piano; in concert
1996–97	The Snow Leopard	Alfa/Evidence	Most tracks trio, with George Mraz (bass), Billy Hart (drums); some tracks quartet, with Gregor Huebner (violin) added
1997	Freedom Joy	Trial	Duo, with Masahiko Togashi (percussion)
1998	New York Rhapsody	Tokuma	Duo, with Gregor Huebner (violin)
1999	What Is This Thing Called Love?	Venus	Trio, with George Mraz, Billy Hart (drums)
1999	Round About Bartok	ACT	Trio, with George Mraz (bass), Gregor Huebner (violin)
2000	Romantic Rhapsody	Venus	Trio, with George Mraz, Billy Hart (drums)
2001	Round About Federico Mompou	ACT	Trio, with George Mraz (bass), Gregor Huebner (violin)
2002	Round About Monteverdi	ACT	Trio, with George Mraz (bass), Gregor Huebner (violin)
2002	No Borders	Venus	Most tracks trio, with George Mraz, Billy Hart (drums); some tracks quartet, with Gregor Huebner (violin) added
2006	Manhattan Reverie	Venus	Trio, with George Mraz, Billy Hart (drums)
2007	Duality: The First Ten Years	Niveau/Nuromusic	Duo, with Gregor Huebner (violin)
2007	Summer Night	Venus	Trio, with George Mraz, Billy Hart (drums)
2008?	Crossing Over	Niveau	Solo piano
2008	Jazz Adagio	Venus	Solo piano
2009	Unspoken	Outnote	Duo, with Dave Liebman (tenor sax, soprano sax, flute)
2009	Quest for Freedom	Sunnyside	With Dave Liebman (soprano sax, flute), Frankfurt Radio Bigband
2010	Knowinglee	Outnote	Trio, with Lee Konitz (alto sax, soprano sax), Dave Liebman (tenor sax, soprano sax)
2010	Impressions of Tokyo: Ancient City of the Future	Outnote	Solo piano
2012	Live at Birdland New York	ACT	Quintet, with Gregor Huebner (violin), Randy Brecker (trumpet), George Mraz (bass), Billy Hart (drums); in concert
2016/17	Aftermath	Jazzline	Quartet, with Dave Liebman (tenor sax, soprano sax, wooden flute, c-flute), Florian Van Volxem (buchla synthesizer), Leo Henrichs (modified tympani, gong)
2017	Gaia, The New Richie Beirach Trio	Jazzsick	Trio, with Regina Litvinova (keyboards), Christian Scheuber (drums)
2018	Empathy	Jazzline	Duo, with Dave Liebman (tenor sax, soprano sax)
2019	Lifelines	Jazzline	Trio, with Dave Liebman (tenor sax, soprano sax), Jack DeJohnette (drums)
2019	Crossing Borders	Zoho	Duo, with Gregor Huebner (violin) with the WDR Big Band
2019	Live	Jazzsick	Quartet, with Reiner Witzel (alto & soprano sax), Joscha Oetz (bass), Christian Scheuber (drums)
2020	Avala	Jazzsick	Duo, with Christian Scheuber (drums, percussion)
2020	Heart Of Darkness	Jazzline	Solo piano
2022	Leaving	Jazzline	Solo piano

As a member

Quest

• Quest (Trio, 1982) – recorded in 1981
• Quest II (Storyville, 1986) – Live
• Midpoint: Quest III (Storyille, 1988)
• N.Y. Nites: Standards (PAN Music/NEC Avenue, 1988)
• Natural Selection (Pathfinder/NEC Avenue, 1988)
• Of One Mind (CMP, 1990)
• Redemption; Quest Live in Europe (Hatology, 2007) – Live
• Re-Dial – Live in Hamburg (Outnote, 2007) – Live
• Circular Dreaming (enja, 2012) – recorded in 2011

As sideman

With George Adams

• Sound Suggestions (ECM, 1979)

With John Abercrombie

• Arcade (ECM, 1978)
• Abercrombie Quartet (ECM, 1979)
• M (ECM, 1980)

With John Scofield

• John Scofield Live (Enja, 1978)

With Chet Baker

• You Can't Go Home Again (Horizon, 1977)
• The Best Thing for You (A&M, 1977 [1989])

With Frank Tusa

• Father Time (Enja, 1975)

With Dave Liebman

• First Visit (album) (Philips, 1973)
• Lookout Farm (ECM, 1973)
• Sweet Hands (Horizon, 1975)
• Light'n Up, Please! (Horizon, 1976)
• Pendulum (Artists House, 1978)
• Eternal Voices (Jazzline, 2019)

With Jeremy Steig

• Temple of Birth (Columbia, 1975)
• Firefly (CTI, 1977)

With Steve Davis

• Explorations and Impressions (Double-Time, 1997)

With Laurie Antonioli

• The Duo Session (Nabel, 2005)

With Ron McClure Trio

• Inspiration (Ken, 1991)

With George Mraz

• Catching Up (1991)
• My Foolish Heart (1995)
• Jazz (1995)

References

1. Shim, Eunmi (2007). Lennie Tristano – His Life in Music. University of Michigan Press. p. 134. ISBN 978-0-472-11346-0.

External links

• Richie Beirach's Website
• Richie Beirach at AllAboutJazz.com