Rich Graiko Quartet
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Close your eyes and you’re suddenly in a smoky Kingston club in the late ’60s—horns warm and brassy, drums snapping with rocksteady swagger, and the air vibrating with that unmistakable blend of jazz artistry and ska soul. That’s the energy the Rich Graiko Quartet delivers every time they step onstage.
Led by trumpeter, composer, and bandleader Rich Graiko—original trumpet seat in Westbound Train, co-founder of The Void Union, and creator of The Brooklyn Attractors—this quartet fuses deep jazz musicianship with the roots of ska, reggae, and soul. Rich’s horn lines carry decades of history in them: the discipline of jazz, the warmth of classic Jamaican brass sections, and the fire of years spent collaborating with icons.
His performance and recording credentials read like a timeline of modern ska and soul: The Skatalites, The Slackers, Derrick Morgan, The Toasters, Dave Hillyard & The Rocksteady Seven, Neal Evans (Soulive), The Transplants, and more. From the Van’s Warped Tour to Hellcat Records’ legendary runs, Rich has toured the world refining a sound that’s both virtuosic and deeply groove-driven.
The Rich Graiko Quartet brings all of that into an intimate, improvisation-forward jazz format—deep pocket, soulful harmonies, and trumpet lines that hit like sunlight through smoke.
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Jazz • Ska-Jazz • Soul-Infused Instrumental • Reggae-Rooted Improvisation
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Jazz Clubs • Vintage-Inspired Cocktail Hours • Ska/Reggae Crossover Nights • Art Centers • Festival Side Stages • Music-Lover Listening Rooms
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Rich has composed and produced original music for nearly every project he’s touched—from Void Union to The Brooklyn Attractors—giving him one of the most quietly expansive writing résumés in modern ska-jazz.
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20+