Sean Rickman

Last updated

Sean Rickman
Therickpromo2016a.jpg
Rickman in 2016
Background information
Also known asThe Rick
BornWashington, D.C.
Genres Rock, rhythm and blues, jazz, funk
Occupation(s)Musician, singer, songwriter
Instrument(s)Drums, guitar, bass guitar, vocals
Years active1989–present
Labels BMG/RCA, Warner Bros
Website www.therickrocks.com

Sean Rickman is an American musician from Washington, D.C. He has worked with Shawn Lane, Garaj Mahal, Dapp Theory, Steve Coleman, Maxwell, Meshell Ndegeocello, Blacksheep, Phil Upchurch, David Fiucynski and Screaming Headless Torsos, Kai Eckhardt, Anthony Tidd's Quite Sane, K'Alyn, Angela Bofill and George Duke. [1] Rickman was lead singer and drummer for Garaj Mahal from 2007 to 2011 and his rock band Big Mouth featuring guitarist Leonard Stevens. He was also featured alongside Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter and Marcus Miller on the Tribute to Miles 2011 tour. [2]

Contents

Rickman has toured and recorded with alto saxophonist Steve Coleman, bassist Kai Eckhardt, and guitarist Miles Okazaki. He releases self produced albums under the name "The Rick", performing vocals and all the instruments. He is the lead vocalist and guitarist of his power trio.

Early life

Sean Rickman was born in Georgetown, Washington, D.C., into a musical family. His father, Phil Upchurch, worked as a guitarist and bassist with Michael Jackson, Quincy Jones, B.B. King, George Benson, Curtis Mayfield, Cannonball Adderley, John Lee Hooker, Grover Washington Jr., Lenny Breau, and Dizzy Gillespie. His mother, Renee Morris is a singer who played Mary Magdalene in Jesus Christ Superstar by Andrew Lloyd Webber. His uncle, Joseph Morris, was a drummer with the Ohio University marching band who inspired Rickman's stick grip. Another uncle, Wayne Morris, was a DJ, who exposed him to a record collection without the bounds of genre. Rickman also enjoyed the work of Al Green and Funkadelic at an early age. Rickman exhibited innate musical abilities and was considered a musical prodigy with a remarkable sense of meter. Surrounded by the musical influence of his family, he is said to have begun playing drums around age one, as he began to learn to walk. Throughout primary school and high school, Sean excelled as a musician both intramurally and extramurally. He attended Montgomery College in Rockville, Maryland, in 1988. Taking a jazz improvisation class. [3]

Career

In 1989, Rickman traveled from his hometown, Washington, D.C., to Los Angeles, California, at the request of his father, who introduced him to owner of Third Stone Records and American cinematic music director, Richard Rudolph. Rudolph, known as "Dick" or to his friends and family as "Dickie" was the former husband of Minnie Riperton who Phil Upchurch, Rickman's father, had worked in the short-lived band, Rotary Connection in the 1960s. Rudolph released an album of moderate success with the band Saigon Kick. He later assigned Rickman to work with American record producer, Stewart Levine. Warner/Chappell Music, Inc. signed Rickman to a publishing deal and gave him an advance, used to cover an entertainment attorney, transportation and studio expenses during the remainder of his time in Los Angeles during the late 80s and early 90s. In the early months of 1992, Sean returned to Washington, D.C., and began performing with DC area reggae band Blacksheep. In the final months of 1992, Jamie Brown (owner of Sister2Sister Magazine) recommended Rickman to Kim Jenkins of Ardent Studios in Memphis, Tennessee. Rickman immediately relocated to Memphis and recorded a demo with producer Angelo Earl. Earl placed him with rising star Shawn Lane, whom Rickman instantly recalled from a Guitar Player Magazine article entitled "Unknown Greats" which he had read in years prior. Shawn Lane was sought out and signed by Jim Ed Norman, President of Warner Bros. Records in Nashville. Eventually the group toured the US with Robben Ford and released Shawn Lane's Powers of Ten album which was produced by the legendary Andy Johns. This was followed with the Tri Tone Fascination album release along with two instructional videos on REH video. [3] In 1993, Rickman again relocated to Los Angeles to perform with his father, veteran musician Phil Upchurch. They toured Europe and performed in the Southern California area. Producer Angelo Earl relocated to Los Angeles to work with him, but they both returned to their hometowns following a devastating 6.7 magnitude earthquake in January 1994. After living in Washington, D.C., for a short period of time, Angela Bofill hired him on the spot after watching him perform in Washington, D.C., with keyboardist Federico Gonzalez Peña and alto saxophonist Marshall Keys. In 1994–1996 Rickman began touring with Angela Bofill, and working on her album Love in Slow Motion. While in New York, drummer Gene Lake Jr suggested Rickman to Steve Coleman. After an audition including a host of veteran drummers, Coleman hired 25-year-old Rickman. For the years 1996 through 2002, Rickman toured and recorded four albums with Coleman. [3] In 1996 Rickman began touring with Maxwell. [1]

In 1999 Rickman joined and produced albums with the group Dapp Theory. The group featured pianist/composer Andy Milne. Sean recorded, produced and toured with the group for the albums New Age of Aquarius, Y'all Just Don't Know and Layers of Chance. He remained with Dapp Theory until 2007. In 2000 Rickman toured with Meshell Ndegeocello (with keyboardist Peña) as well as performing on her album, Cookie. [1] In 2002 the DVD entitled Compositional Drumming was released, followed by clinics and lessons in the US. [4] In 2007 Rickman joined the fusion band Garaj Mahal and remained with the group until 2011. [5]

In 2011 Rickman was selected as drummer for the Tribute To Miles 2011 European tour which featured Marcus Miller, Herbie Hancock and Wayne Shorter. [2] In 2012 Rickman re-united with Steve Coleman, releasing Functional Arrhythmias. Later after continued touring, college workshops and residencies, Coleman's band Five Elements performed and recorded at the legendary Village Vanguard in New York City releasing Live At The Village Vanguard Volume I (The Embedded Sets). Then the followup, Live At The Village Vanguard II (MDW NTR).

In 2015 Sean joined former Five Elements guitarist Miles Okazaki forming the group Trickster releasing Trickster (2016) The Sky Below (2019), Thisness (2021) and Live In Brooklyn (2023).

Sean released his first solo album One (2012) under his artist name "The Rick". The album features original material in which he sings all lead and background vocals, as well as performs guitar, bass and drums. He then followed up with Zoom (2016). His third solo release Archives (2021) features unreleased originals from earlier 8 track demos showcasing his intensity as an unknown guitarist. The latest release Oh So Very Much (2024) is where the songs were first written from the drums without music and arrangements. The Rick stated "Writing from the drums without music gives me unpredictability in which I create an unusual rhythmic song format, as opposed to traditional time keeping with most popular Western music."

Discography

The Rick

As sideman

With Steve Coleman

With Shawn Lane

With others

Videography

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Antonio Sánchez (drummer)</span> Mexican drummer and composer

Antonio Sánchez is a Mexican drummer and composer. He is best known for his work with jazz guitarist Pat Metheny and as a composer of the film score for the 2014 film Birdman. The score earned him a nomination for the Golden Globe Award for Best Original Score and BAFTA Award for Best Film Music; he won a Grammy Award for Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media, the Critics' Choice Movie Award for Best Score, and the Satellite Award for Best Original Score.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dave Holland</span> British jazz musician

David Holland is an English double bassist, bass guitarist, cellist, composer and bandleader who has been performing and recording for five decades. He has lived in the United States since the early 1970s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shawn Lane</span> American musician (1963–2003)

Shawn Lane was an American musician who released two studio albums and collaborated with a variety of musicians including Ringo Starr, Kris Kristofferson, Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, Reggie Young, Joe Walsh, Jonas Hellborg, Anders Johansson, Jens Johansson and many others. After studying the piano, he learned to play the guitar, which he played with exceptional speed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wendy Melvoin</span> American guitarist and singer-songwriter

Wendy Ann Melvoin is an American guitarist and singer-songwriter, best known for her work with Prince as part of his backing band the Revolution, and for her collaboration with Lisa Coleman as one half of the duo Wendy & Lisa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Doyle Bramhall II</span> American guitarist

Doyle Bramhall II is an American guitarist, producer and songwriter best known for his work with Eric Clapton and Roger Waters. He is the son of the songwriter and drummer Doyle Bramhall.

<i>Drop Kick</i> (album) 1992 studio album by Steve Coleman and Five Elements

Drop Kick is an album by saxophonist Steve Coleman and his band Five Elements recorded in 1992 and released by Novus.

<i>Tales</i> (album) 1995 studio album by Marcus Miller

Tales is an album by the American musician Marcus Miller, released in 1995. He supported it with a North American tour.

<i>Back Down to One</i> 2003 studio album by Jani Lane

Back Down to One is the debut studio album by Jani Lane, former lead vocalist of the American hard rock band Warrant. Lane was still the lead singer of Warrant when this album was first released on August 22, 2003 featuring a band Lane assembled composed of guitarist Matt Cleary, ex-Defcon bass player Mark Mathews and drummer Adam Mercer. The bulk of the album material would be co-composed by his erstwhile Warrant colleague Keri Kelli.

Miles Okazaki is an American jazz guitarist and composer. Okazaki is a lecturer of jazz guitar at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brett Garsed</span> Australian musician and songwriter (born 1963)

Brett Edward Garsed is an Australian musician and songwriter, best known for his work as a guitarist with John Farnham and T. J. Helmerich, as well as being a former member of the American band Nelson. Garsed was featured on Derek Sherinian's solo records Planet X (1999) and Planet X's Quantum (2007), and more recently Sherinian's Molecular Heinosity (2010).

<i>Cookie: The Anthropological Mixtape</i> 2002 studio album by Meshell Ndegeocello

Cookie: The Anthropological Mixtape is the fourth studio album by American soul singer and rapper Meshell Ndegeocello, released on June 4, 2002 by Maverick Records. Following the commercial underperformance of her third studio album, Bitter (1999), her label encouraged her to return to her earlier sound and record an album that sounded more "black". Ndegeocello collaborated with a number of prominent Black musicians, including Talib Kweli, Missy Elliott, and Tweet, as well as her backing band, the Conscientious Objectors, and recorded the album during the summer of 2001. The record, which Ndegeocello modeled on the mixtapes of her childhood, adopted a hip-hop and R&B-influenced sound and political lyrics similar to that of her debut album, Plantation Lullabies (1993), focusing on themes such as consumerism, revolution, religion, and same-sex attraction. Throughout the album, Ndegeocello also features samples of recorded speeches by Black activists, poets, and musicians, such as Angela Davis, Gil Scott-Heron, Countee Cullen, and Etheridge Knight.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mark Guiliana</span> American drummer

Mark Guiliana is a Grammy-nominated American drummer, composer and leader of the band Beat Music. He has played with Avishai Cohen, Brad Mehldau, David Bowie, Meshell Ndegeocello, Gretchen Parlato, Jason Lindner, Lionel Loueke, Dhafer Youssef, Tigran Hamasyan, Matisyahu, St. Vincent, the European piano trio Phronesis and his own groups, Heernt and the Mark Giuliana Jazz Quartet.

<i>Powers of Ten</i> (album) 1992 studio album by Shawn Lane

Powers of Ten is the first studio album by guitarist Shawn Lane, released in 1992 through Warner Bros. Records. A second edition was reissued in 1993, with a revised track listing and alternate versions of "Get You Back" and "West Side Boogie". In a 2009 article by Guitar World magazine, Powers of Ten was ranked seventh on the all-time top ten list of shred albums.

<i>The Tri-Tone Fascination</i> 1999 studio album by Shawn Lane

The Tri-Tone Fascination is the second and final studio album by guitarist Shawn Lane, released in 1999 through Eye Reckon Records; a second edition was reissued in 2000, containing a revised track listing and different cover art. The opening track, "Kaiser Nancarrow", was inspired by and named after composer Conlon Nancarrow.

<i>Devils Halo</i> 2009 studio album by MeShell Ndegéocello

Devil's Halo is the eighth studio album by American singer-songwriter and bassist Me'Shell Ndegéocello. It was released by Downtown Records on October 6, 2009.

<i>Powers of Ten; Live!</i> 2001 live album by Shawn Lane

Powers of Ten; Live! is a live album by guitarist Shawn Lane, released in 2001 through Eye Reckon Records. This was to be Lane's final solo effort, before his death in 2003.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Damion Reid</span> American drummer (born 1979)

Damion Reid is an American drummer. Critics have praised his "controlled fury" and "microscopically complex beats."

<i>More Mr. Nice Guy</i> 2010 studio album by Garaj Mahal

More Mr. Nice Guy is a studio album by United States-based fusion band Garaj Mahal, released in 2010.

Anthony Tidd is a British-born bass player, composer, music producer, curator and Guggenheim Fellow who has been based in the United States since 1999. A well-known name on the international jazz scene and veteran touring bass player, he has graced stages alongside many staple names, including Steve Coleman, The Roots, Rudresh Mahanthappa, Wayne Krantz, Meshell Ndegeocello, Common, and Jill Scott. Currently, Tidd regularly tours and records with alto saxophonist Steve Coleman, is the Creative Music Program Director at the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts in Philadelphia. and is the owner of recording/production studio Tidbit Sonos.

<i>Functional Arrhythmias</i> Album by Steve Coleman

Functional Arrhythmias is an album by American jazz saxophonist Steve Coleman and his band Five Elements, which was recorded in 2012 and released on Pi Recordings. This version of the ensemble is notable for the return of Anthony Tidd on electric bass and Sean Rickman on drums, both of whom first played with the band more than 15 years earlier. The rest of the band consists of trumpeter Jonathan Finlayson and guitarist Miles Okazaki.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Drummer World, http://www.drummerworld.com/drummers/Sean_Rickman.html
  2. 1 2 North Sea Jazz, http://www.northseajazz.com/en/program/2011/sunday-10-july/14843_hancock-shorter-miller-tribute-to-miles
  3. 1 2 3 Andrew Lentz, "Sean The Rick Rickman of Garaj Mahal", DRUM! Magazine, Enter Music Publishing, June 2010, p. 17
  4. ↑ All About Jazz, http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/article.php?id=14162
  5. ↑ Robin Tolleson, "Garaj Mahal & Fareed Haque", Modern Drummer Magazine, Modern Drummer Publications, Inc., September 2010, p. 90
  6. ↑ All Music, http://www.allmusic.com/artist/sean-rickman-p180258/credits
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.