Ricky Ford Quartet

Tenor saxophonist Ricky Ford studied at the New England Conservatory with Gunther Schuller and Ran Blake. While still in his early 20s, he toured with the Duke Ellington Orchestra (under Mercer Ellington’s leadership) and Charles Mingus. By the 1980s, he was considered one of the leading tenor saxophonists of his generation. He worked with Dannie Richmond’s Quintet, Lionel Hampton, Mal Waldron, Beaver Harris and Abdullah Ibrahim’s Ekaya, and also on more than a dozen albums as a leader.