Lunchtime Jazz | GERRY RICHARDSON QUARTET

This anticipated Lit & Phil concert will feature Gerry’s established quartet, comprising Gerry, Garry Linsley, Rod Sinclair and Paul Smith.

Friday 20th March 2026 | 1pm

GERRY RICHARDSON QUARTET

A Hammond B3 specialist, Gerry Richardson is one of the enduring figures on the regional jazz scene. Recently retired from the day job - lecturing on the Jazz, Popular and Commercial Music degree course at Sage Gateshead (now the Glasshouse International Centre for Music) - Gerry continues to perform with his trio, quartet and the rarely heard nine-piece Big Idea.

Gerry first came to prominence as a member of Last Exit. In the mid-seventies, the jazz-rock outfit achieved cult status performing to capacity audiences at venues across Tyneside. The band’s bass-playing vocalist, Gordon Sumner, would soon achieve global fame as none other than Sting! To this day Gerry and Sting remain firm friends.

The Gerry Richardson Quartet’s collective cv includes working with Guy Barker, Billy Joel, Mark Knopfler, Billy Ocean, Alan Price, Annie Ross and Kathyrn Tickell. This eagerly anticipated Lit & Phil concert will feature Gerry’s established quartet, comprising Gerry (organ & vocals), Garry Linsley (alto sax), Rod Sinclair (guitar) and Paul Smith (drums) performing a selection of original compositions alongside classic numbers by Hammond B3 maestros Jack McDuff, Jimmy McGriff and Jimmy Smith, and soul-jazz icons Mose Allison, Ray Charles and Gil Scott-Heron.

A LIVE Lit & Phil Event | £8

(If you would prefer to book directly over the phone, please call the Library Desk team on 0191 232 0192 and they will be happy to help)