Richie Kohan Biography

Composer/performer Richie Kohan
unveils his all original band.
Please see: Hour of the Shipwreck Home
and/or Hour of the Shipwreck MySpace

See: Prefix Interview

Barbara Gruska: Drums

Richie Kohan: Guitar
Richie Kohan: Guitar

Marcel Camargo: Guitar
Marcel Camargo: Guitar

Gabe Noel: Bass
Gabe Noel: Bass

John Wood: Keys
John Wood: Keys

Richie Kohan was born and raised in Los Angeles, California. Since he was a toddler he showed a musical interest and at age eight began formal training studying classical guitar. This gave him the technique that has been important in the development of his jazz playing, particularly his capability to employ finger picking in addition to the more standard style of jazz guitar playing that is generally limited to the use of a pick.

Richie eventually strayed from just classical playing, making his way through Rock, to discover jazz at the age of 14. He played an integral role in beginning a jazz ensemble at Oakwood School which, at the time, only had a classical orchestra. Two years later the band began participating in competitions local and nation wide. In this band Richie received Outstanding Soloist awards at the Fullerton jazz competition, the Corona jazz competition, and at the Northwestern music festival.

Richie went on to attend the UCLA music program where he studied both jazz and classical guitar. He excelled in his studies of classical music theory, focusing on counterpoint, harmonic analysis of Bach Chorales, structural analysis of romantic pieces, and the theories behind twelve tone music and polyharmonies. To improve his jazz skills he used almost all of his spare time transcribing dozens of solos by Sonny Rollins, Charlie Parker, and Wes Montgomery, to name a few. Within the UCLA program he was taught by jazz masters such as Kenny Burrell, Anthony Wilson, Roberto Miranda, and Bobby Rodriguez. He was selected to be in the top jazz ensemble and the top jazz combo. He won the Randy Rhodes classical guitar scholarship and two years in a row he won the Herb Alpert jazz scholarship.

In Richie's third year of undergraduate study he transferred to The New School Jazz Program where he was submerged in the life, music, and musicians of New York City. He immediately began gigging regularly, and formed a sextet c omprised of the top musicians at the New School playing his original compositions.

While in Los Angeles Richie performed at Royce Hall with Kenny Burrell in a big band lead by Gerald Wilson and Garnette Brown. He has played at various LA clubs such as BB King's blues club, The Hotel Cafe, The Westwood Brewing Co., and The Downbeat and he was the guitarist in one of Los Angeles's best young big bands called The Sunday Band.

When he moved to New York he started playing several times a week with his organ trio at The Pod and at Zeytuna. Outside of the jazz world Richie has been a musician for several plays and musicals including The House of Bernarda Alba, Acquaintances, and The Music Man. He has worked in the studio primarily in the hip-hop genre with artists such as DJ Jason Romero and producer Ben Sharony. Richie also worked as a scribe for producer and band leader Jack Gold of L.A. Carpool.

One of Richie's most intriguing attributes is his unique style of composition. He has been greatly influenced by the compositional style of ECM and post-ECM artists such as Pat Metheny, Kurt Rosenwinkel, and Mark Turner, but combines that with his interest in romantic and 20th century classical composers such as, Prokofiev, Debussy, Tchaickofsky, and Barber.

He has also always had a love for rock and popular music from The Beatles, Bob Dylan, and Steely Dan, to Björk, Radiohead, and Phish .

His eclectic musical background comes out in his progressive compositions and richly voiced arrangements. In an interview Richie said, "I think that composition is at least as important as improvisation because you are not playing in the confinement of something somebody else wrote."

Richie is currently recording and performing with Hour of the Shipwreck.

Contact information:
Phone: (646) 236-8991
Email: richkohan@hotmail.com

While residing in New York City, on a trip back to California, Kohan was in Hollywood, gigging at the Rocco, Kohan dropped by Kat Club Cabaña Studio and added both Lead and Rhythm Guitars to The Kat Club's 2007 CD 'los angelenos' , as well as co-writing "In California (Chill Jam)" with Freddy Moore, Dennis Peters and Loni Specter.
Richie is currently dividing his studio time bewteen recording with Hour of the Shipwreck, and recording with The Kat Club!

Richie Kohan at Kat Club Cabaña Studio 2002