Jerome Richardson was a first-call reed man on both the East and West coasts. He was born on Christmas Day in 1920 and grew up in San Francisco.
He started on the saxophone at an early age and was influenced by Johnny Hodges and Benny Carter. By the age of 14 he was working professionally and he added the flute to his arsenal of instruments. His Navy experience included work with alto great Marshall Royal and he joined Lionel Hampton's band in 1949.
Jerome's flute solo on the Quincy Jones arrangement of "Kingfish" is often credited with being the first jazz flute recording. He moved to New York in 1954 and found work with Oscar Pettiford and in various T.V. shows. He also lent his vocal talents to R & B productions at the Roxy Theater.
Jerome's first album was recorded in 1958 and he worked as a sideman with numerous jazz stars. He was an original member of the Thad Jones-Mel Lewis Orchestra and a favorite of Quincy Jones, who employed his identifiable sound on the albums Walking in Space and Gula Matari.
Jerome's work on Jazz Life represents one of his last achievements out of a prolific recording career lasting five decades. He passed away unexpectedly on June 23, 2000 in New Jersey.