“Jazz of the purest… a mere two numbers in and [the audience] were screaming and yelling.
It was a gas and every one of the punters lapped it up.” Jazz Journal
“Neal Richardson has a great understanding of how to reel in the audience…
one could sense them getting more involved and on his side” London Jazz News
All Neal’s gigs can be found on our @splashpointjazz Newsletter/Giglist here
Neal’s new album The Maximalist is out!
£15 + £2 postage and packaging
Catalogue no. SPR020CD
Released 12/4/23 digital; 16/6/23 Physical
To order a physical CD click the “Add to Cart”
“The Maximalist” album (Splash Point Records SPR020CD)
An album about false riches, belief, folly, greed, love, connection and hope.
British pianist/singer/songwriter Neal Richardson’s new project ‘The Maximalist’, his 2nd album, tells a story through blues-tinged, gutsy originals and modern twists on well-known standards. There are shades of Ray Charles, Georgie Fame & Harry Connick Jr in Neal’s style.
“Jazz of the purest… a mere two numbers in and [the audience] were screaming and yelling. It was a gas and every one of the punters lapped it up.” Jazz Journal
“Neal Richardson has a great understanding of how to reel in the audience… one could sense them getting more involved and on his side”. London Jazz News
“Neal Richardson is a pianist, singer and songwriter and all-round entertainer who presents his shows with a ready and sometimes gently barbed wit. Greying and handsome he seemed to have a bit of a female following, the audience included several tables full of ‘ladies who lunch’. An accomplished singer and piano player and [who] fronts a highly competent band… “ The JazzMann.com
New arrangements of well-known standards rub shoulders with intriguing originals tackling themes ranging from the sea, the environment, existential crises, love, loss and… and plenty of Blues.
In live performances, these are all presented in Neal’s infamous raconteur style, taking you on a journey that every- one can relate to, with his first class 7-piece band comprising some of the UK’s top jazz musicians.
Neal Richardson (piano/vocals), with Jo Fooks (sax), Sue Richardson (tpt), Mark Bassey (tbn), Miles Danso (double bass), Luke Rattenbury (gtr) and Alex Eberhard (drums).
1. The Maximalist – a song about the greed in all of us, and growing up
2. Come Rain or Come Shine – love is a decision
3. The Cold Sea – a new anthem for cold-water swimming?
4. No Better Blues – a feel-good piano instrumental, à la Ramsey Lewis
5. This Masquerade – we’ve all been there
6. Opium – all about religion and its tenacious tentacles
7. Help Me Make It Through The Night – sometimes despair needs company
8. Comes Love – classic swing piano quartet
9. Down & Dirty, Sussed – what they don’t teach you at school
10. You Are My Sunshine – the simple plea about joy and the fear of loss
11. Jim Jam Blues – in honour of Jim Mullen, a happy jazz blues
12. One For My Baby – sometimes company leads despair
13. The Cage (When Will It End?) – existential and climate angst, a fitting end!
Photos by multiple-award-winning photographer Peter Prior (peterprior.com/portrait-gallery/), on location at Royal Pavilion, Brighton (by permission).
Peter also shot the photos for Neal’s first album Better Than The Blues (SPR015CD) ©2023 Splash Point Music Ltd
Contact: info @ splashpointmusic.com
©2023 Splash Point Music Ltd.
The Maximalist SPR020CD, Splash Point Records. Digital release 28/4/23 through Believe. Physical release 16/6/23 through Proper.
Album Trailer
Available on Spotify
Buy the ‘Better Than The Blues’ CD/BOOK
Neal Richardson is a powerful and rhythmic piano/vocalist playing jazz, blues and originals, and an award-winning Producer.
A professional musician for over 25 years, Neal cut his teeth performing in jazz clubs, hotels, and on cruise ships in over 50 countries, from Rio to Raffles, Norway to New Orleans, Vietnam to Venezuela. He has entertained Royalty, Hollywood celebrities and VIPs at world-renowned venues, including a private party for George Clooney on his yacht at the Cannes Film Festival.
Neal’s arrangements and original compositions display his wide-ranging tastes and influences, and he and his band have a great swinging style influenced by Oscar Peterson, Nat King Cole and Gene Harris. He has played in the London Jazz Festival many times, including launching his debut album “Better Than The Blues”, and selling out Ronnie Scott’s.
His “Not” King Cole show sold out performances in the London Jazz Festival twice, garnering excellent reviews in the jazz Press, and headlined two Festivals in Germany in 2022 and 2023.
As a Producer he has made 20 albums for various jazz artists, including two at London’s Abbey Road Studios, and ran his own award-winning Label, Splash Point Records, for 20 years, winning 3 BBC Jazz Awards. He now runs the hugely popular Splash Point Jazz Club nights (@splashpointjazz), and heads-up Splash Point Music Ltd.
The Music
A night of punchy, groovy tunes with jazz and blues influences, from powerful pianist/singer/songwriter Neal Richardson – a smorgasbord of jazz standards and bluesy originals!
The Man
“Sings like heaven, swings like hell!”
Neal has performed 2,000 gigs in over 50 countries, in jazz clubs, festivals and on cruise ships. He is also a renowned producer of some of the UK’s finest vocal jazz albums from the last decade – including those by Ian Shaw and Liane Carroll.
The Band
With a line-up from quartet to septet, Neal’s band creates a big sound, with the powerful guitar of Andy Drudy, George Trebar (bass)
and Alex Eberhard (drums). The impressive horn section comprises: Dave Lewis (tenor sax), Mark White (trumpet) and Mark Bassey (trombone).
The Project
Neal is at last showcasing his own musical talents with ‘Better Than The Blues’, an album of sophisticated original material. Many of the great musicians he has worked with are featured on the album, from his newest record label signing, Ricardo Herz (the phenomenal Brazilian violinist), to Claire Martin OBE on backing vocals.
The Songs
“For thinking people with a bit of life‐experience.”
Firmly rooted in the acoustic piano jazz and blues traditions, Neal’s songs have a raw confessional style and a huge breadth of genres:
From the down‐home title track; the brutal honesty of UXB and This Is Not The Life; the feel-good rhythms of Nfunk and irresistible samba You’re The Future; the sublime Breathe, to the moving story told by The Soul Of New Orleans – which was written following his performance at the first Mardi Gras after Hurricane Katrina.
The CD/Book
“We wanted to make something luxurious and beautiful.”
More than just a new CD, this tour celebrates a unique artistic collaboration with award‐winning photographer, Peter Prior, whose work has been described as having a ‘timeless elegance’. The result is an exquisite, tactile, hardback coffee table book overflowing with Peter’s breathtaking images, to accompany the music CD. This is something physically, visually and aurally desirable, a premium product to cherish ‘instead of just a faceless download’.
PHOTOGRAPHS
Please credit all photos to: Peter Prior
www.peterprior.com
Email: info@peterprior.com
The Maximalist – One Sheet – Click here to download
BTTB Packshot – Click here to download
BTTB Press Release – click here to download
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