RIP Richie Beirach

[colinmce]

An extraordinary pianist and musical thinker, “The Code” — an essential link in the continuity of jazz music throughout the 1970s, and of course beyond, a deep creator across many decades.

If you haven’t heard the 2021 5xCD box set entitled Empathy you should seek it out. In addition to a (I believe) final duo with Dave Liebman, it includes a bevy of other music, including a solo piano disc, imparting his great range. 

[JSngry]

That's too bad. RIP 

[Balladeer]

 His music has always been something special. I first discovered him when he wrote the hauntingly beautiful instrumental "Broken Wing" for Chet Baker. Later his trio albums for  the ACT Munich Label with violinist Gregor Hübner and George Mraz - "Round about Bartok", "Round about Monteverdi" , "Round about Mompou" - were standout chamber crossovers.
Richard Alan Beirach surely was one of a kind - a stylistically highly original pianist, composer, and musician who played among others with Getz, Liebman, the Brecker Brothers. The last part of his life he spent in Germany, first he taught jazz piano at the Hochschule für Musik in Leipzig. Then he lived with two befriended musicians on a farm in a village in rural southwestern Germany.

RIP, Richie Beirach
 

Edited Tuesday at 02:05 PM by Balladeer

[sambrasa]

I was just recently was him reminiscing the ECM albums he made. Some fascinating stories there:

 

[HutchFan]

So sad to hear this news. R.I.P.  

But what a brilliant artist!  I am so grateful for all of the MAGNIFICENT music he made!

 

 

Some thoughts on Beirach from Ethan Iverson: 
https://open.substack.com/pub/iverson/p/tt-568-rip-richie-beirach?utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=email

 

[clifford_thornton]

Not unexpected but very sad news. RIP.

[optatio]

... sad news - R.I.P.

[felser]

RIP.  Loved his work with Liebman in Lookout Farm and Pendulum.

[T.D.]

RIP. More sad news...lots of passings recently.

[OliverM]

Sad, RIP.

The above video is very interesting on the context of the time and specifically on the relationship with producer Manfred Eicher around Beirach's Hubris.

[Milestones]

Let's not forget his contributions to the John Abercrombie Quartet (basically late 70s).

R.I.P.

 

[Kevin Bresnahan]

I had heard he was very ill but I was hoping he could pull through.

I only got to see him play once but it was a very long time ago and I don't remember much about it... I think it was with Dave Liebman. His duet album with George Coleman, "Convergence", is really good. One of the better duet albums out there.

[HutchFan]

46 minutes ago, Milestones said:

Let's not forget his contributions to the John Abercrombie Quartet (basically late 70s).

Indeed.  Those three albums are stellar, IMO.

ECM reissued them in one of their plain-white-box sets.

 

4 minutes ago, Kevin Bresnahan said:

I only got to see him play once but it was a very long time ago and I don't remember much about it... I think it was with Dave Liebman.

I only got to see him play one time also, just before COVID hit.  It was a show at Mezzrow, a duo performance with Dave Liebman.  Saw both sets.  Most memorable was a LONG, way way out version of "Green Dolphin Street."  I had a chance to chat briefly with Richie between sets.  I said, "I've NEVER heard 'Green Dolphin Street' like THAT."  Richie smiled and said, "I haven't either!"

 

1 hour ago, OliverM said:

The above video is very interesting on the context of the time and specifically on the relationship with producer Manfred Eicher around Beirach's Hubris.

It's interesting that both Beirach and Liebman -- for different reasons -- had a falling out with Manfred Eicher.

 

[B. Clugston]

RIP. He left behind some great trio work plus some fine albums with Liebman and in Abercrombie's quartet.

[Jason Bivins]

RIP.

[sgcim]

RIP. A keyboard player friend of his used to tell me some of his jokes.:

What's Red White and Black?

A nun with an arrow through her head.

[Peter Friedman]

I got to see him play one time. He was a sideman with Frank Morgan's Quartet.

[mhatta]

RIP. I'd heard he was seriously ill, so it's inevitable, but it's still sad.

While Richie Beirach is famous for his ECM recordings, I'd also recommend checking out his lesser-known albums produced in Japan. On the Trio label, albums like Sunday Song (a duo with Frank Tusa), Omerta (a duo with Dave Liebman), and Maracaibo Cornpone (where he appears as a sideman for George Otsuka) showcase a powerful side of Beirach quite different from his more decadent ECM music, and I really enjoy them.

[Gheorghe]

I first heard him on Liebman´s Drum Ode, which was a favourite of mine then when it came out and still is. 

[felser]

48 minutes ago, Gheorghe said:

I first heard him on Liebman´s Drum Ode, which was a favourite of mine then when it came out and still is. 

It's good - I like the first Lookout Farm album even more.  It goes for three figures on CD, but is available as an Amazon download.