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Biography Richie Cole
Richie Cole (born in Trenton, NJ, on 29 February 1948; died 2 May 2020) was an American jazz saxophonist, composer, and arranger. He formed his Richie Cole Quintet and toured worldwide, developing his own "alto madness" bebop style in the 70s and early '80s. He formed the Alto Madness Orchestra in the 1990s.
A graduate of Ewing High School, Ewing New Jersey, Cole started on alto saxophone when he was ten encouraged by his father who owned a jazz club in New Jersey. Winning a scholarship, he attended Berklee College of Music for two years before beginning his professional career.
In 1969, he joined drummer Buddy Rich's Big Band. After working with Lionel Hampton's Big Band and Doc Severinsen's Big Band, he formed his Richie Cole Quintet and toured worldwide, developing his own "alto madness" bebop style in the 70s and early '80s. He formed the Alto Madness Orchestra in the 1990s.
In 2005, he was awarded the State of California Congressional Certificate of Lifetime Achievement in Jazz on behalf of the Temecula Jazz Society.
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