Richie Cole...the alto madness

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Hello my friends, it was announced a few days ago that the saxophonist Richie Cole passed away at his home. He was 72 years old. His daughter Annie Cole said he died in his sleep due to natural causes. He was born on February 29th, 1948 in Trenton, New Jersey. He encountered jazz music at an early age because his father was owner of two jazz clubs. He grew up hearing jazz music at both clubs. He received his first saxophone at the age of ten when someone left it at his father's Harlerm club. At this time he started playing saxophone. At 16, he attended a music camp directed by the legendary saxophonist, Phil Woods.  Phil would go on to be a lifelong mentor of Richie Cole. Generally influenced by Sonny Rollins and Charlie Parker.

In 1969 he joined the Budy Rich Big Band replacing Art Pepper on alto sax. Later he spent time in the Lionel Hampton Orchestra and the Doc Severinsen Big Band until the mid 70's. It was then that he started some bebop gigs around New York. He also worked in Washington DC at the club Harold's Rogue and Jar. Later he created a closed partnership with vocalist Eddie Jefferson. The pair toured the States in Cole’s minivan, playing just about everywhere until 1979. In 1979, as Eddie Jefferson was walking along with Richie Cole outside Baker's Keyboard Lounge in Detroit, he was gunned down. It was a very sad memory that followed Richie Cole all his life.

Richie with Eddie recorded and released 4 albums from 1977 to 1980. The last album called "Hollywood Madness" was released in 1980 after Eddie Jefferson's death. It was recorded on April of 1979 at Home Grown Fidelity Studio, Studio City, California. Richie Cole has recorded totally over 50 albums and CDs. He also collaborated and performed with great artists like Freddie Hubbard, Sonny Stitt, Boots Randolph, Nancy Wilson Manhattan Transfer, Bobby Enriquez, Salena Jones and many others. 

Cole was appointed to the Board of the National Jazz Service Organization and the Board for the National Endowment for the Arts where he served as chairman for one year. He is also a charter member of the International Association of Jazz Educators. In 2005 he was awarded the State of California Congressional Certificate of Lifetime Achievement in Jazz on behalf of the Temecula Jazz Society.