After classical piano lessons with EPTA founder Carola Grindea as a child, Tim Richards began to teach himself jazz and blues, inspired by his father's collection of 78 records by Duke Ellington, Django Reinhardt and Louis Armstrong. He has been a presence on the jazz scene since the early 1980s, touring throughout Europe and the UK with his bands Spirit Level, Great Spirit and the Tim Richards Trio, recording over a dozen albums featuring line-ups from duo to nine-piece. His 2015 album 'Telegraph Hill', by the six-piece Hextet, was described in The Observer as 'A Joy from beginning to end'. Tim's 1997 Schott publication 'Improvising Blues Piano' has been widely acclaimed as setting a new standard in music education. The sequels 'Exploring Jazz Piano' and 'Exploring Latin Piano' have established him as one of the UK's foremost jazz educators. From 1999–2019 Tim also worked for ABRSM as a jazz examiner, contributing pieces to their jazz piano syllabus and teaching short courses for classical piano teachers. He currently teaches jazz piano privately, and at Morley College and The City Lit in London.
