Ricky Ford


Ricky Ford is an American jazz tenor saxophonist.

Biography

Ford was born in Boston and studied at the New England Conservatory. In 1974 he recorded with Gunther Schuller and then played in the Duke Ellington Orchestra under Mercer Ellington from 1974 to 1976. After this he played with Charles Mingus, Dannie Richmond, Lionel Hampton, and then in the Mingus Dynasty. He also played with Abdullah Ibrahim and Mal Waldron, and has recorded with many other notable musicians including Yusef Lateef, Sonny Stitt, McCoy Tyner, Freddie Hubbard, Amina Claudine Myers, Sathima Bea Benjamin, Steve Lacy, and others.
Ford has recorded extensively as a leader for Muse and Candid.
He settled in Paris, France, in the 1990s. He taught at Istanbul Bilgi University from 2001 to 2006.
In 2009 he founded the Toucy Jazz Festival in Yonne,, and invited musicians including Rhoda Scott and Ravi Coltrane.

Discography

As leader

;New World Records
;Muse Records
;Candid Records
;Other labels
With Ran Blake
With Jaki Byard
With Abdullah Ibrahim
With Steve Lacy
With Ronnie Mathews
With Dannie Richmond
With Red Rodney
With Mal Waldron
With Jack Walrath