Richard Saunders is an eighteen 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, Richard Saunders and the too-cool-for-yous, which consists of Jewish drumming prodigy Jake/Yakov Goldbas, Zwe Bell Le Pere, and back-up singers Wayne Paul, Shenel Johns, and Kimberly Mayo.
In a short amount of time, Richard has conquered every jazz vocal award that exists for a human of his age. He’s been 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. These 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 soulfully speak his mind about the destitution and weirdness of living in the suburbs. No doubt, this Berklee Songwriting Contest and Young Guns 2008 National Battle of the Bands award-winning group of musicians will have much to say as they travel up to the city of Boston this year.
“Amazing vocals; uber sophisticated musicality, fearless songwriting.”
--2008 Young Guns National Battle of the Bands judges
Band Members
Richard Saunders (voice/piano), Jake Goldbas (drums), Shenel Johns (back-up vocals), and and ever-changing assortment of singers, horn players, and bassists.
Influences
Spleen, "Full Moon" (Brandy, Rodney Jerkins), Donny Hathaway, Bjork, Tribe Called Quest, Sufjan Stevens, John Legend, the Bad Plus, Camille, Amy Winehouse & Mark Ronson, Regina Spektor, John Mayer, Maria Mena, Robert Glasper, Ahmad Jamal
Other Artists
Janelle Monae, Julia Easterlin, Frankmusik
Website
myspace.com/richardsaunders
