Richard Michael has established himself as one of the UK’s leading jazz pianists and educators with an unrivalled track record in teaching and performing. Many of Richard’s students are now renowned and high-profile jazz musicians.

Now it’s his turn! Richard has always regarded himself as a pianist first and a teacher second.

On Contemplation he revisits many of the works he has performed on BBC Radio Scotland’s Jazz Nights and here, instead of explaining to his large radio audience how these pieces are constructed and played by the jazz greats, he presents each tune with the care and attention of a master of improvisation.

“The older I get, the more simply I try to play,” he says. “I’m just trying to make the piano sing.”

Richard leads you through a selection of jazz standards by his favourite jazz pianists as well as folk songs and children’s songs. Each tune is presented simply before he takes you down interesting alleyways in his intricate and beguiling improvisations. It is doubtful that any leading jazz musician has recorded an album of such diverse material, but as Richard says: “Any good theme is fair game for me to mess with!”

A Kwela for Caitlin could be said to be his biggest hit, as it appears in the ABRSM piano syllabus and has been performed around the globe many times. Richard was one of a small team responsible for the ABRSM’s Jazz Piano exams where his years of teaching experience were crucial in the development of the syllabus.

“Contemplation is like a 70th birthday present to myself,” he says, “and here’s the music I love, played with respect to the great jazz musicians who have inspired me over the years.”

This double album is a milestone in the life of a remarkable musician who has brought so many musicians into the profession through his impassioned teaching methods.

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