picture of Radam Schwartz
Radam Schwartz
Radam was born and raised in the New York City area. In high school he played saxophone and keyboards in pop and soul bands. After high school he became interested in jazz and made piano his main instrument. He attended Long Island University in Brooklyn for a year and started attending jam sessions in Brooklyn. Later he went to Boston to study at Berklee School of Music on a summer scholarship,and after two semesters, stopped attending working in a restaurant,and selling papers on the street, and practicing piano. Finally Radam got a few gigs, rock and jazz including a brief stint in Charlie Mariano's fusion band.
 
After 3 years he moved back to New York and graduated from Hofstra University. In 1975,he moved to New Jersey to study at Rutgers with Kenny Baron. He was working with Ron Carter at that time and was rarely there, but I started working with a group called the Neo Bop Crisis Committee which had Russell Branca on bass, Michael Ridley on trumpet, Renaldo Joge on trombone, Stan Bielski and Rick Johnson on Saxophones, and Freddie Lopez-Cepero on drums.
 
Eventually Radam met and joined tenor saxophnist Jimmy Ford's, and traveled the East Coast in his band.He got to meet all the cats on the Newark jazz scene. This included one of his mentors, Duke Anderson who was a legend in Newark. He played piano like Art Tatum and organ like Wild Bill Davis. Radam became the pianist in his big band, The New Jersey Contemporary Orchestra. It was in this big band that Radam met Jimmy Anderson, Woody Shaw, Bill Codey, Harold van Pelt, Leslie Ford, Charlie Mason, Al Patterson, Grachun Moncur, Vinnie Burke and many others. After being on the road (including Europe) with Al Hibbler, Radam returned back to New Jersey. He was invited to a jam session by Mickey Tucker. He knew he was a great pianist but did not know that the session was an organ hit. When he got up to play he didn't even know the black keys were pre-sets. A friend, Alan Watson pulled his coat to a few things and eventually helped him purchase a Vicount portable organ Watson was also learning how to play organ at the time, and both spent hours shedding and talking on the phone. Radam considers him important in his developing into an organist. He also turned me onto my first organ gigs. The first was with Chico Rouse and Tommy Labella at Sir Kyles in Seaside Heights (Jersey shore). They were working in Charles Earland's band at that time and were ready to kill me or hire a bass player. But they worked together eventually for many years. The other gig was at Mr Wess with Leo Johnson. That night Charlie Mason came in and hired Radam to work at El Cs every Monday which he did for almost 6 months.
 
After playing organ for 7 to 8 months Radam auditioned for Arthur Prysock's group at Fat Tuesdays in New York. He got the gig and started traveling with his group. After leaving that gig he went back to Jimmy Ford's band but it was now an organ gig, as well as other gigs. He got the house gig at Jones Chateau (organ house in Plainfield ,NJ). At this time he was also a member of the New Brunswick Jazz Collective which included a lot of musicians who are well known such as Steve Nelson, Ralph Peterson, Frank Lacy, Terrence Blanchard, Jerry Weldon and many more. At this time he put out his first record as a co-leader with Leslie Ford.
 
Eventually he started working at the Peppermint Lounge in 1987 with Don Williams and Geary Moore, he also went on the road briefly with Eddie Lockjaw Davis in an organ trio setting. One person who came through was Cecil Brooks 111 (drummer) who was working with Houston Person at the time. He asked Radam to do monday nights back at El Cs with Victor Goines (saxophonist). He went on to play many gis with him, playing, composing and arranging many records. When Cecil formed his band Radam was the organist and musical director.
 
In 1995, Muse records released Organised which was on the jazz charts and is listed in the Hammond Organ Bible as an essential record of all time. Some other recordings of note were released with Radam on the organ, as well as some on the piano. He works together also with Madame Pat Tandy (for over 18 years), David Fathead Newman, Annette St John, the Brandon Wright-Christian Tamburr Quartet, Joey Morant, Yvette Glover, and many others.
 
Radam also has been a jazz educator for many years, being musical director at the Jazz Institute of NJ as well an artist in residence at Middlesex County Arts HS and a teacher at Jazz Connections.
contact: radam_schwartz@yahoo.com
homepage: www.radamschwartzjazz.com
myspace www.myspace.com/radamschwartz
on tour Click on the logo to see Radam's tour dates.

 

Discography
ORGAN-ized
Muse MCD 5497
released 1995
recorded January 1992 in Rutherford, NJ/USA
Radam Schwartz, organ
Bill Saxton, tenor sax
Leslie Ford, trumpet
Frank Lacy, trombone
Geary Moore, guitar
Cecil Brooks III, drums
For Those Who Love to Groove
Savant 2023
recorded April 1999 in Paramus, NJ/USA
Cecil Brooks III, drums
Riley Mullins, trumpet
Don Braden, tenor sax
Bruce Williams, alto sax
Radam Schwartz, organ
Mood Swings
High Note HCD 7107
recorded December 1999 in Paramus, NJ/USA
Russell Gunn, trumpet
Radam Schwartz, Hammond XB-3 organ
Eric Johnson, guitar
Cecil Brooks III, drums
Brooklyn Soul Organization
M & R Records MN0034
recorded January 2004 in Brooklyn, NY/USA
Brad Leali, alto sax
Radam Schwartz, organ
Grant Langford, tenor sax
Jerome Jennings, drums
Conspiracy For Posivity
Blue Ark Records
recorded February 2004 in Paramus, NJ/USA
Radam Schwartz, organ
James Gibbs III, trumpet
Irwin Hall, alto sax
Ryan Clackner, guitar
Tyshaun Sorey, drums
James Stewart, baritone sax
All The Way
Miles High Records MHR-8604
recorded September 2006
Cynthia Holiday, vocals
Gerald Hayes, alto sax
Julius Tolentino, tenor sax
Geary Moore, guitar
Radam Schwartz, organ, piano
Cedar Walton, piano
Andy McCloud III, bass
David Williams, bass
Joe Brown jr., drums
Joe Farnsworth, drums
Wayne Henderson, drums
Magic Tales
Arabesque Recordings AJ0182
recorded October 2006 and January 2007 in Clark, NJ/USA
Radam Schwartz, organ
James Gibbs III, trumpet
Anthony Ware, alto sax
Misha Fatkiev, guitar
Ryan Clackner, guitar
Joe Brown jr, drums, percussion
Anthony Nelson, baritone sax
Joe Brown sr, congas
Gary Oleyar, violin
Blues Citizens
Savant SCD 2087
recorded May 2006 in Paramus, NJ/USA
Radam Schwartz, Hammond B-3 organ
Bill Saxton, tenor sax
Bruce Williams, alto sax
Eric Johnson, guitar
Cecil Brooks III, drums
Kice, vocal
Songs For The Soul
Arabesque Recordings AJ0191
Radam Schwartz, organ
Miles Griffith, vocals
James Gibbs III, trumpet
Anthony Ware, alto sax
Misha Fatkiev, guitar
Joe Brown jr, drums
Luciana Padmore, drums
Soul To Go
Big Bridge Music BBM 1006
Jeff Hackworth, tenor sax
Ed Cherry, guitar
Radam Schwartz, Hammond B-3 organ
Vince Ector, drums
Up On The Roof
Baby Pat Records 14264
recorded in Clark, NJ/USA
Anthony Dixon, vocals
Anthony Ware, sax, flute
Misha Josephs, guitar
Radam Schwartz, organ, piano
The Oleyar String Ensemble
Jacob Webb, bass
Andrew Atkinson, drums
One Night Only
Carlo Music Records

Charlie Apicella, guitar
Sonny Fortune, alto sax
Gene Ghee, tenor sax
Radam Schwartz, organ
Alan Korzin, drums
Groove Machine
OA2 records OA2 22166

Charlie Apicella, guitar
Gene Ghee, tenor sax
Freddie Hendrix, trumpet
Amy Bateman, violin
Radam Schwartz, Hammond organ
Alan Korzin, drums
Mayra Casales, congas
Message From Groove And GW
Arabesque Records AJ220
recorded February 2020 in Montclair, NJ/USA
Radam Schwartz, organ
Anthony Ware, alto sax
Danny Raycraft, alto sax
Abel Mireless, tenor sax
Gene Ghee, tenor sax
Ben Kovacs, baritone sax
Ted Chubb, trumpet
Ben Hankle, trumpet
James Cage, trumpet
Lee Hogans, trumpet
Peter Lin, trombone
Andrae Murchison, trombone
Charlie Sigler, guitar
David F. Gibson, drums

 
Sound Samples
MP3 "Three Sided", from the album "Groove Machine"
06:28 - 6,487kB
Video n/a

 
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