Darrius Willrich
Singer-Songwriter
Darrius Willrich is a Seattle singer-songwriter, pianist, and producer whose sound blends soul, jazz, R&B, and rich harmony. A Cornish College of the Arts graduate in jazz piano, his work is influenced by Stevie Wonder and Prince.
His albums Darrius (1999), Love Will Visit (2003), and Can’t Get Enough (2009) reached international audiences across Europe and Japan, and he performed to a sold-out crowd in Rio de Janeiro in 2010.
He founded Critical Sun Recordings, supporting Seattle soul and jazz artists, and has collaborated with Jake One, Vitamin D, Gift of Gab, Choklate, and Big World Breaks. He also teaches piano and voice at institutions including Seattle Central College.
He is currently the keyboardist for Digable Planets, a featured vocalist on Wiz Khalifa’s Rolling Papers 2, and co-producer on Nasty C’s Overpriced Steak.
Photo by Niffer Calderwood at Jazz Alley
Transcript
Darius Wilrich, "Jazz Alley Story."
I was a student at Cornish College of the Arts. As a student, you could get in free to the first show at Jazz Alley.
There was a lot of inspiration that came from being able to see our idols without thinking about money. I remember being into the pianist named Benny Green. I had been rocking out to his latest album, "Testifyin'." The Ray Brown trio came to Jazz Alley with Benny Green. I got to meet him. Nice guy, humble. I arranged a private lesson with him that took place on stage at Jazz Alley. I played a song for him that I didn't feel confident about. To my surprise, his immediate response was, "That sounds good to me." It was a huge encouragement for my career and process.
At another of his performances at Jazz Alley, we ended up having dinner with Benny Green. We paid because we were so excited. He seemed annoyed that we paid.
After the show, I'm not even sure what I said to him, but he seemed contemplative and said, "He didn't like his performance that night "and erroneously thought I was attacking him about it. "We both laughed about it."
Him being able to share and take responsibility for his thoughts was also inspiring.
Thank you, Jazz Alley, for the space for artists and artists in training to meet, commiserate, do their passions and their lives.