“How do you react to those words… ‘And why aren’t you famous yet? You’ve had a few years to do it. Cause then I could say I knew you and you wouldn’t be so so so so boring… so boring.’”
~from the song “I Love You, Richard”
Richard Saunders writes songs, plays piano and sings with his band the too-cool-for-yous. He’s not boring at all. In fact, he’s a jazz vocal virtuoso.
Richard Saunders and the too-cool-for-yous
One doesn’t need to check out his incredible array of awards to know it. Although, they are pretty hard to ignore. In 2008, Richard was the first-ever vocalist selected to sing with the Next Generation Jazz Orchestra and participated for the second time in the Gibson/Baldwin GRAMMY jazz choir. In the same year, he won silver in the jazz voice category at the NFAA youngARTS week. Not to mention Richard is one of only twenty high school (yes, HIGH SCHOOL) students that the US Department of Education has selected to be a Presidental Scholar in the Arts.
But forget the awards for a minute. Listen to Richard’s music and you’ll have a hard time convincing yourself for a second that you aren’t in a well-known jazz club, from decades and decades ago, checking out one of the greats. His music is described as “soulfulicious.” We take that as a mix between “soulful” and “delicious.” We bet you’ll agree after checking out the songs below.
There are a couple of names that normally spring to mind when you hear the words “Bloomington, Indiana.” Hoosiers. Alfred Kinsey. John Cougar Mellencamp. Tibetan monks (true story —look it up.) Here’s one you can add to that list: Jenn Cristy.
Cristy has been a fixture on the Bloomington music scene since 2003, playing alongside such acts as Shawn Mullins, Antigone Rising, Bree Sharp and Jeffery Gaines. Her bright piano melodies will win over fans of Colbie Caillat and Norah Jones —or anyone looking for something pretty, sunny and simple. Case in point: “Mr. Beautiful Brown Eyes,” which coasts along with brushed drums, cascading keys and breezy-sweet vocals. For those who prefer a coarser sheen, “Butterfly Wings” gets a little more raw — the piano iterates defiantly as Cristy plays the scorned lover. It’s not “You Oughta Know,” but it’s as close as an upbeat girl can get.
Our jazzy journey began this morning with an electric set from OurStages Dred Scott Trio over at the Waterside Stage. This New York based group delved into a modern vibe right off the bat and opened with Apropeau of Nothing followed by the R-rated heavy hitter, Mojo Rhythm where they occasionally interjected the word f@#k between a hard, complex and ever-shifting melody – and at times even included Dred Scott himself banging on the piano with his full forearm!
Sensing the modern sounds might have thrown off the early morning crowd, Dred Scott shifted gears slightly and worked in a spunky little Don’t Fear the Reaper rendition that pulled people right back in line.
The spiffily dressed MC Extra Cheese came out for a few songs and added a quirky comic edge to the performance with his song Not on my album, which lists all of the artists that Dred Scott and friends will NOT be collaborating with … unless of course they were ‘Lil Kim’ and promised sexual favors (yes that was in the song).
Keep checking back with the OurStage blog this week for continued coverage of the 2008 Newport Jazz Festival and full performance footage of Dred Scott Trio’s song Mojo Rhythm available soon – exclusively on the OurStage.com blog!
