Ed Riches is an improviser, composer, producer, music director and multi-instrumentalist specialising in guitar. He leads his own instrumental contemporary jazz quartet ‘Local Authority’ which has made several appearances at Love Supreme Festival, Red Bull Music Academy, Dean Street, Jazz fm, Jazz Cafe London, Cargo, Ghostnotes, Stratford Circus and Jazz Re:freshed. Local Authority's sound has been described as ... "if Nick Drake was ghostwriting a Weather Report album for the Soulquarians'.
Ed's personal music composition interests lie in folk songwriters such as John Martyn, 70s jazz such as Herbie Hancock, the romantic harmony of Tchaikovsky, hard-bop such as the Jazz Messengers, experimental electronic such as Squarepusher, sound design from the BBC Radiophonic workshop, the controlled noise of Tom Morello and slide blues of Derek Trucks, the inner musical logic of Bach, the rhythmic excitement of Stravinsky and the 8bit sound-world of Nintendo's Koji Kondo.
Largely self-taught, he has explored the Parker/Trane bebop language of jazz colleges, but also Carnatic music with an interest in raags and the melakarta system, Arabic Maqams, Sufi Qawwali and Malian Desert Blues. Ed developed finger style acoustic playing from playing in Ceilidh bands, familiarised odd time signatures playing with Balkan artists, absorbed Bernstein's Harvard lectures and joined a choir to learn Gospel harmony straight off the bandstand with church organists.
Ed Riches has featured in the Financial Times Masterclass Series, endorses Gibson guitars and Roland synths, and has performed at major jazz festivals around the world, including: Montreux Jazz Festival, North Sea Jazz Festival, Winter Jazz Festival New York, London Jazz Festival, Istanbul Jazz Festival, Pori Jazz Festival, Jamaica Jazz Festival, Bratislava Jazz Festival, Rochester New York Jazz Festival.
Notable other concerts amongst extensive tours of US, Asia and Europe include: Shanghai Concert Hall, the 02 arena, Wembley Stadium, Wembley Arena, Royal Albert Hall, Royal Festival Hall, Reading & Leeds Festival, Glastonbury Festival, The Houses of Parliament, FA Cup Final and the Olympic Games in London and Paris.
Ed has been guitarist of choice for Grammy-winner Bilal’s world tours, Miguel Atwood Ferguson’s ‘Suite for Ma Dukes’ Orchestra, DJ Jazzy Jeff’s ‘Playlist Sessions’, Bokani Dyer's 'Radio Sechaba' album tour dates, Ayanna Witter-Johnson’s ‘Black Panther’ ensemble and Zara McFarlane’s ‘If You Knew Her’ broadcasts.
Ed played slide guitar and resonator on the soundtrack for 'Blues for an Alabama Sky' at the National Theatre and acoustic guitar on the soundtrack to Disney+ comedy series 'How To Die Alone'. Ed also played Flamenco guitar on a reimagining of Charles Mingus' 'Black Saint and the Sinner Lady' at the Barbican Theatre, and electric guitar on the soundtrack to 'Grenfell: in the Words of Survivors' also at the National Theatre. On screen, Ed can be seen playing the music of Rosetta Tharpe as rhythm guitarist in the motion picture 'Death on the Nile', directed by Kenneth Branagh and produced by Ridley Scott.
He has also been an integral accompanist for vocalists Sahra, N’Dambi, Shaun Escoffery, Marsha Ambrosius, Glenn Lewis, Cynthia Erivo, Mica Paris, Kyan, Beverley Knight, Lemar, Jacqui Dankworth, Ntjam Rosie, Nailah Porter, Terri Walker, Rose Royce, Noisettes Shingai Shoniwa, Scissor Sisters Jake Shears, Natasha Bedingfield and a featured soloist for Vels Trio, Jazz Jamaica, the London Horns and larger ensembles such as Lumekestra, Ed Puddick Big Band, Nu Civilisation Orchestra and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.
He has served as Music Director for artists such as: Omar, Mega, Beth Rowley, Jesse Boykins, and worked as guitarist on recordings and live performances with hip hop artists Bilal, Masego, Kofi Stone, General Levy, Skinnyman, Funky DL, Klashnekoff, Kojey Radical, Melo-X and Tinie Tempah.
Known for his ‘refined technique, unique tone, deep grasp of harmony and instinct for melody’ (Financial Times), Ed Riches is a prolific collaborator and a respected contributor to the jazz and improvised music community. He has performed in many live and recording projects with: pianists Ashley Henry, Bokani Dyer, Charlie Stacey, Jake Sherman, Frank McComb, Xan Blacq, Marc de Clive Lowe, Kaidi Tatham; drummers Steve McKie, Will Calhoun, Corey Fonville, George 'Spanky' McCurdy, Troy Miller, Marijus Aleksa, Yussef Dayes, Jas Kayser, Moses Boyd, Femi Kolioso and Jamire Williams; Saxophonists Tony Kofi, Dee Byrne, Nubya Garcia, Julian Siegel, Nathaniel Facey, Denys Baptiste, Soweto Kinch and Jason Yarde, trumpet players Yelfris Valdes, Jay Phelps and Sheila Maurice-Grey; bassists Gary Crosby, Neil Charles, Tone Whitfield, Johnathan Michel, Mutale Chashi, Daniel Casimir and Rob Mullarkey, Flautist Gareth Lockrane, Violist Miguel Atwood-Ferguson, Vibraphonist Orphy Robinson and Harpist Alina Bzhezhinska.
Ed's personal music composition interests lie in folk songwriters such as John Martyn, 70s jazz such as Herbie Hancock, the romantic harmony of Tchaikovsky, hard-bop such as the Jazz Messengers, experimental electronic such as Squarepusher, sound design from the BBC Radiophonic workshop, the controlled noise of Tom Morello and slide blues of Derek Trucks, the inner musical logic of Bach, the rhythmic excitement of Stravinsky and the 8bit sound-world of Nintendo's Koji Kondo.
Largely self-taught, he has explored the Parker/Trane bebop language of jazz colleges, but also Carnatic music with an interest in raags and the melakarta system, Arabic Maqams, Sufi Qawwali and Malian Desert Blues. Ed developed finger style acoustic playing from playing in Ceilidh bands, familiarised odd time signatures playing with Balkan artists, absorbed Bernstein's Harvard lectures and joined a choir to learn Gospel harmony straight off the bandstand with church organists.
Ed Riches has featured in the Financial Times Masterclass Series, endorses Gibson guitars and Roland synths, and has performed at major jazz festivals around the world, including: Montreux Jazz Festival, North Sea Jazz Festival, Winter Jazz Festival New York, London Jazz Festival, Istanbul Jazz Festival, Pori Jazz Festival, Jamaica Jazz Festival, Bratislava Jazz Festival, Rochester New York Jazz Festival.
Notable other concerts amongst extensive tours of US, Asia and Europe include: Shanghai Concert Hall, the 02 arena, Wembley Stadium, Wembley Arena, Royal Albert Hall, Royal Festival Hall, Reading & Leeds Festival, Glastonbury Festival, The Houses of Parliament, FA Cup Final and the Olympic Games in London and Paris.
Ed has been guitarist of choice for Grammy-winner Bilal’s world tours, Miguel Atwood Ferguson’s ‘Suite for Ma Dukes’ Orchestra, DJ Jazzy Jeff’s ‘Playlist Sessions’, Bokani Dyer's 'Radio Sechaba' album tour dates, Ayanna Witter-Johnson’s ‘Black Panther’ ensemble and Zara McFarlane’s ‘If You Knew Her’ broadcasts.
Ed played slide guitar and resonator on the soundtrack for 'Blues for an Alabama Sky' at the National Theatre and acoustic guitar on the soundtrack to Disney+ comedy series 'How To Die Alone'. Ed also played Flamenco guitar on a reimagining of Charles Mingus' 'Black Saint and the Sinner Lady' at the Barbican Theatre, and electric guitar on the soundtrack to 'Grenfell: in the Words of Survivors' also at the National Theatre. On screen, Ed can be seen playing the music of Rosetta Tharpe as rhythm guitarist in the motion picture 'Death on the Nile', directed by Kenneth Branagh and produced by Ridley Scott.
He has also been an integral accompanist for vocalists Sahra, N’Dambi, Shaun Escoffery, Marsha Ambrosius, Glenn Lewis, Cynthia Erivo, Mica Paris, Kyan, Beverley Knight, Lemar, Jacqui Dankworth, Ntjam Rosie, Nailah Porter, Terri Walker, Rose Royce, Noisettes Shingai Shoniwa, Scissor Sisters Jake Shears, Natasha Bedingfield and a featured soloist for Vels Trio, Jazz Jamaica, the London Horns and larger ensembles such as Lumekestra, Ed Puddick Big Band, Nu Civilisation Orchestra and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.
He has served as Music Director for artists such as: Omar, Mega, Beth Rowley, Jesse Boykins, and worked as guitarist on recordings and live performances with hip hop artists Bilal, Masego, Kofi Stone, General Levy, Skinnyman, Funky DL, Klashnekoff, Kojey Radical, Melo-X and Tinie Tempah.
Known for his ‘refined technique, unique tone, deep grasp of harmony and instinct for melody’ (Financial Times), Ed Riches is a prolific collaborator and a respected contributor to the jazz and improvised music community. He has performed in many live and recording projects with: pianists Ashley Henry, Bokani Dyer, Charlie Stacey, Jake Sherman, Frank McComb, Xan Blacq, Marc de Clive Lowe, Kaidi Tatham; drummers Steve McKie, Will Calhoun, Corey Fonville, George 'Spanky' McCurdy, Troy Miller, Marijus Aleksa, Yussef Dayes, Jas Kayser, Moses Boyd, Femi Kolioso and Jamire Williams; Saxophonists Tony Kofi, Dee Byrne, Nubya Garcia, Julian Siegel, Nathaniel Facey, Denys Baptiste, Soweto Kinch and Jason Yarde, trumpet players Yelfris Valdes, Jay Phelps and Sheila Maurice-Grey; bassists Gary Crosby, Neil Charles, Tone Whitfield, Johnathan Michel, Mutale Chashi, Daniel Casimir and Rob Mullarkey, Flautist Gareth Lockrane, Violist Miguel Atwood-Ferguson, Vibraphonist Orphy Robinson and Harpist Alina Bzhezhinska.
