Richard Saunders
Boston, Massachusetts, United States
Music
Press
"...if you're bypassing [Sunday afternoon at the Monterey Jazz Festival] because you think the quality of the music and talent is lower, think again...if you skip the Next Generation Band you'll miss a true rising star, vocalist Richard Saunders, who comes across as a youthful Kurt Elling or Michael Buble, with tons of nuance, style and swing..." - The Monterey Herald
"Amazing vocals; uber sophisticated musicality, fearless songwriting...he's mature sounding for his years...Innovative compositions, great phrasing, and tight band with complete sound palette. Fully finished sound." - 2008 Young Guns Contest Judges
"...we heard from a unassuming young man with the sounds like Robin Thicke. At first I was like “What iss this orange T-shirt wearing back pack carrying dude gonna do?” – but his sound was incredibly soulful and his tune catchy. Very pleasant surprise..." - The Fab Empire
"...saucy, blatant, unusual and all together brilliant. At only 18 years of age, Richard Saunders has a knock-out voice that is skilled, refined, and soulful. With clear production, strong drums, and killer background vocals, this song ['I Love, You Richard'] should be at the top..." - Lisa Genee
Discography
Urban Appeal EP - December 2008
Entity EP - August 2005
Photos
Bio
RICHARD SAUNDERS OCTET
Richard Saunders is an nineteen year old who survived the Connecticut suburbs making music too soulfulicious to be ignored. Claiming influences from Donny Hathaway to Ella Fitzgerald to Björk, his musical blend of jazz, pop, and hip hop sounds like a young Michael Bublé who spent his first few years of high school in Harlem. He plays the piano and writes songs to sing with his band, consisting of Jewish drumming prodigy Jake/Yakov Goldbas, bassist Zwe Bell Le Pere, and soulfulicious singers Erika Littlejohn, Shenel Johns, and Jennifer Ayala.
In a short amount of time, Richard has conquered every jazz vocal award that exists for humans of his age. He was a part of the Gibson/Baldwin GRAMMY Jazz Choir in 2007 and 2008, along with the first vocalist ever selected to sing with the Next Generation Jazz Orchestra in 2008. He won the silver award in jazz voice at the NFAA youngARTS week in 2008, and is one of twenty high school students selected by the U.S. Department of Education to be a Presidential Scholar in the Arts. The opportunities have allowed him to sing in venues such as the Kennedy Center, North Sea, and Monterey Jazz Festivals.
Having mastered the fine art of scatting, he pushes that all aside and gets down to business. His no-nonsense approach to harmony and lyrics allow him to succinctly speak his mind about the destitution and weirdness of growing up in the suburbs. No doubt, this Berklee Songwriting Contest and Young Guns 2008 Battle of the Bands award-winning group of musicians will have much to say as it starts playing its soulful music through the streets of Boston.
Booking contact:
richardsaundersbooking@gmail.com
Press contact:
RichST99@comcast.net
Phone:
(860) 808-9537
Links
