Not to be mistaken for the actor born in Dublin who shares his name, Richard Todd stands out as a French horn player whose abilities span straight-ahead acoustic jazz, pop, rock, and European classical traditions. Residing in the Los Angeles area, he avoids any narrow allegiance to jazz and has performed extensively with ensembles such as the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra and the Santa Barbara Symphony while also logging numerous pop and rock studio dates. Even so, the approach he brings to his instrument draws heavily from the cool school branch of acoustic jazz.
His playing is marked by an intensely lyrical quality and a soft, mellow, caressing tone shaped by cool school figures including Stan Getz, Miles Davis, Chet Baker, and Gerry Mulligan. In this respect, Todd occupies a position on the French horn comparable to the roles Davis and Baker fill on trumpet, Bill Watrous on trombone, Lee Konitz and Paul Desmond on alto saxophone, and Lester Young-inspired tenorists such as Getz, Zoot Sims, and Paul Quinichette. Frequently described as the Stan Getz of the French horn, he works with an instrument that has never occupied a central place in jazz. Although capable players have appeared from time to time—Sweden’s Hakan Nyquist, Sharon Freeman, John Graas, Tom Varner, and Julius Watkins, often called the Charlie Parker of the French horn—the horn has remained far less visible than the saxophone or trumpet and even less common than the frequently overlooked trombone.
Todd has absorbed considerable influence from third stream music, the style that merges jazz with European classical and chamber elements. He is clearly familiar with key third stream contributors such as the Modern Jazz Quartet and arranger Gunther Schuller, with whom he has worked on multiple projects. Yet alongside his jazz improvising, he has spent considerable time on non-jazz work. During the 1980s he became a sought-after session musician, supporting artists that included Barbra Streisand, Kenny Rogers, Madonna, and Latin icon Julio Iglesias. In the 1990s his non-jazz credits extended to Bette Midler, Michael Bolton, Sheena Easton, and Barry Manilow, while his jazz dates from that decade featured Billy Childs, David Benoit, and Shirley Horn. The early 2000s brought a recording contract with RCM, which issued his melodic straight-ahead jazz album With a Twist in June 2002.
