Richard Bliwas

The virtuoso pianist has been compared to Brian Wilson, Miles Davis, The Beatles, and Sun Ra-- but as All About Jazz said in it's review of Rising Rose Records 2004 release Ghost ? His writing is unmistakably original ?. Rising Rose Bakery (2011) is a tripped out exploration of improvisational psychadelic composition. It organically incorporates popisms with a cubistic jazz essence never before so lucidly incarnated.

Rising Rose Bakery (2011) is a tripped out exploration of improvisational psychadelic composition. It organically incorporates popisms with a cubistic jazz essence never before so lucidly incarnated. Multi-instrumentalist Daniel Carter joins a select group of original musicians who have recorded on Rising Rose Records. His collaboration is instantly karmic and ignites the ensemble engine of this fluidly structured recording.

Astral Prints (2010) and Uncovered ( 2009 ) , reflect the dissolving boundaries between jazz and other forms of music, Richard's soulful improvisations, mystical tunes and transformative psychedelic production create a poetic spellbinding musical symposium, summoning synesthetic spirits in these mellifluous inventive recordings.

Astral Prints reached number 10 on WNYU's 5/10/10 chart,as well as # 1 on CJSW , #6 on CHRW and #6 on the 6/22/10 CFRU Jazz chart. Uncovered charted at #4 on CFRU , # 15 on WNYU , # 9 on CJLY , # 22 on CFRE, # 5 KEUL and # 3 on CJSW

Downtown Music Gallery says in it's reviews of Uncovered (Rising Rose 2009) and Astral Prints (Rising Rose 2010) "Richard is in a class of his own.../ would be world famous in a better balanced universe".

Richard made his national television debut in 2008 appearing as the pianist on Paula's Party (episode IPO406) featuring Susan Lucci, Suzie Orman and Ru-Paul This episode was first broadcast during a Lunar Eclipse !-- He also appeared on Paula's Party episode IPO407) featuring Cameron Mathison , Leanne Morgan , Daisy Fuentes and her lovely sister Rosanna, improvising another ready-made sound track for The Food Network

His lyrics have been described as profound, cryptic, silly, perceptive and poetic.

and In 1989 Richard provided creative, structural and line by line editing as principle editor of Cynthia Kadohata's acclaimed first novel --The Floating World (Viking 1989) - a New York Times notable book of the year

Shredding Paper said in it's review of Walk the Bike ? Bliwas walks the line between jazz and folkrock with confidence?producing a dialectic sound that compliments rather than conflicts.

Was Is ---an album that Jazz Improv Magazine says has the feeling of stretching time and space in an infinite universe of floating musical galaxies reaching the far corner's of Richard's imagination , morphing textures and articulated with dynamic clarity was released in May 2008 and played at many great radio stations like WFMU , WNYU and CMAT reached number 1 ( hooray !!! ) at CFRU reviewed by Never Ending Wonder radio , DMG newsletter and Jazz Improv Magazine


An encouraging suggestion from the great jazz artist Paul Bley, led Richard to record his first CD's -- Compose Yourself -- solo, duo and trio improvisations --which recording engineer David Baker called great musicians, recording and performance." and Cadence Magazine called "engrossing and creative, seamless music..." and the painterly production of songs and improvisations from another single afternoon stream of consciousness session, Walk the Bike which Downtown Music Gallery called timeless and exquisite, an album which could have been made in the late 60's if they didn't know better.

Walk the Bike which reached # 1 at CFRC an enlightened college station (Canada's oldest ) in June 2003, was played --- on dozens of other public and college stations including Stanford's KZSU, and praised in reviews from Music Dish, Shredding Paper, All About Jazz (Italy),The Big Takeover etc..

Ghost , released in Sept. 2004, called Richard's most ambitious work by All About Jazz, reunites his early 80's trio with Brazilian great Valtinho Anastacio. Within a few weeks of it's release it climbed on to a dozen or so college and public radio top 10's including # 4 at KTUH in Hawaii ,# 3 at WAIH Potsdam, NY 90.3 FM #5 at KEUL 10/23/04, and # 3 at WMHB Waterville, ME 89.7 FM

Ghost appeared on many playlists like WBRS Brandeis and Stanford's KZSU Zookeeper . It was also praised in reviews from Cadence Magazine , All About Jazz , and All About Jazz (Italy).

Yarrow Stalk Bridge, an introspective solo session was recorded in a single afternoon at Walter Sear's Sear Sound in 2005 and followed in Ghosts' footsteps , with reviews from All About Jazz Italy , Downtown Music Gallery among others , and more college radio play like WNCW and top ten on a growing number of insightful stations like CKXU.
DMJ (who listed Walk the Bike in their top recommendations for 2005) states in it's July 1st 2005 newsletter which reviews Yarrow Stalk Bridge . "Richard is a truly gifted piano player and songwriter who should not go unnoticed for very long. "

Richard's early 80's groups like AMS with David Budway and Ned Goold were infusing the influences of Miles Davis , Brian Eno , Syd Barrett and The Beatles , into intimate innovative recordings-- and performances at the Kool Jazz festival , smokey old Pittsburgh jazz clubs where Benson and Eckstine played a few generations earlier or rock/punk clubs like The Electric Banana. The music however, freely crossed genre lines, foreshadowing alternative and contemporary styles.