Ricky Ford

[Milestones]

Any fans of Ricky Ford?

He strikes me as one of those under-rated or under-valued tenor players.  His thing is basically mainstream playing, though I notice he sometimes goes into those Jackie McLean type screams at climactic moments.  I was mostly aware of him for his work with Abdullah Ibrahim's Ekaya.  His stuff was never easy to find, and even now I don't see much by him on downloading and streaming services.

He had a solid run on Muse in the 1980s, then quickly a few on Candid.  Since then he's been scarce.  I have just two of his own records...well three if I can find an old cassette around here.

Not saying he is a tenor titan, but certainly worth hearing.   So many good tenor players and some just slip away or fall between the cracks.

 

[soulpope]

As written elsewhere his solo work on Kip Hanrahan's "Desire Develops An Edge" is outstanding ....

[Kevin Bresnahan]

I think part of the reason he's less visible is that he moved to Paris where he is doing well from what I understand but it's not New York.

[JSngry]

His records since leaving America have been uniformly outstanding and devastatingly intense.

[Milestones]

I did not even known he had become an expatriate.  

I saw something about him leading a big band.   

[Д.Д.]

Older thread: 

  

[jcam_44]

His Muse output is magnificent. 

[relyles]

I heard him live a couple of times in the recent years. He was still playing strong.

[HutchFan]

I'm a fan.

For anyone wishing to explore Ford's output as a leader, I'd recommend:

Ricky's Choice (32 Jazz) - selections from Ford's Muse recordings, 1980-1984 
IMO, this compilation is more convincing than any of the individual Muse releases.  

American-African Blues (Candid) - the most compelling of the Candid sessions
with Jaki Byard (!), Milt Hinton & Ben Riley; recorded in NYC, 1991.

[balaena] (Jazz Friends) - a live 1999 set, recorded in Paris
with George Cables, Cecil McBee & Ed Thigpen.

 

[Kevin Bresnahan]

I strongly recommend Ford's Song For My Mother a very intense record.

[John L]

  On 12/3/2020 at 11:55 PM, bresna said:

I strongly recommend Ford's Song For My Mother a very intense record.

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Yes!

[mjzee]

https://urbansuitejazz.com/return-to-categories/jazz-straight-ahead-see-all/ricky-ford-4tet-au-duc-des-lombards

This looks interesting: 

 

[Tom in RI]

I like his playing on Pete (Laroca) Sims Blue Note release, Swingtime.

[colinmce]

He contributed memorably to Ran Blake's Chris Connor and Claude Chabrol albums on Impulse!, which were both recorded in 2012 and released a couple years later. And of course he plays wonderfully on The Short Life of Barbara Monk and That Certain Feeling, also with Blake. I especially enjoy his sideman appearances on Mal Waldron's two excellent, underrated Soul Note albums The Crowd Scene and Where Are You (both recorded in 1989). I don't recall him having a lot of solo space on Lacy's Vespers or Beaver Harris' A Well Kept Secret, but they're both very good records he plays on all the same.

[soulpope]

  On 12/4/2020 at 8:36 PM, colinmce said:

I especially enjoy his sideman appearances on Mal Waldron's two excellent, underrated Soul Note albums The Crowd Scene and Where Are You (both recorded in 1989).

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Agreed ....

[Joe]

LOXODONTA AFRICANA, his first leader date, is still in print, IIRC. 

You might also see if you can also track down a copy of THE TENORS OF YUSEF LATEEF AND RICKY FORD.

 

[relyles]

After many years, a new Ricky Ford recording. Still playing strong on these mostly concise tracks.

 

[JSngry]

  On 5/4/2022 at 2:29 PM, relyles said:

After many years, a new Ricky Ford recording. Still playing strong on these mostly concise tracks.

 

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Label?

[jazzbo]

Whaling City Sounds put this out.

[JSngry]

Ordered. Very interested to hear where he's at these days.

[HutchFan]

Is Ford now living in the U.S. again?   I know he was living overseas for a long time.  Last in Turkey, I think.

 

[Kevin Bresnahan]

  On 5/4/2022 at 2:29 PM, relyles said:

After many years, a new Ricky Ford recording. Still playing strong on these mostly concise tracks.

 

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Wow - I did not know that Barry Altschul was still playing. I haven't seen his name on a record in a decade at least. This website says it was recorded " at the Samurai Hotel in Astoria, NY".

  On 5/4/2022 at 3:22 PM, HutchFan said:

Is Ford now living in the U.S. again?   I know he was living overseas for a long time.  Last in Turkey, I think.

 

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According to Wiki, he taught in Turkey 2001-2006, but they go on to say that he founded the Toucy Jazz festival in Yonne, France in 2009, so he may still be living there.

Hard to believe that he's already 68 though. Damn, we're getting old.

[Chuck Nessa]

  On 5/4/2022 at 6:43 PM, bresna said:

Wow - I did not know that Barry Altschul was still playing. I haven't seen his name on a record in a decade at least. This website says it was recorded " at the Samurai Hotel in Astoria, NY".

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Saw Barry with his 3dom Factor last Fall in Buffalo. He/they sounded great.

[clifford_thornton]

rad -- I haven't seen him since pre-COVID but every time I did, he was awesome. Also a fun guy to interview.

[AllenLowe]

  On 12/3/2020 at 6:50 PM, Д.Д. said:

Older thread: 

  

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in those days he kind of did himself in, missing planes and acting the Star. Looks like he's grown up, which is nice to see.