“Rick Udler is brilliant. His compositions and execution leave the listener in a state of grace.”
— Jorge Fernando dos Santos
“There’s a special group of people that can be called citizens of the world. Rick Udler is one of them. The guitarist knows how to extract superb musical lessons from the places he’s been.”
— Guitar Player Magazine/Brazilian Edition
“In jazz circles, Udler is hailed as a compositional wizard, but there’s an effervescence to his playing that transcends egghead considerations. Perhaps it’s his years performing in areas such as Miami and New Orleans, where jazz is played for the body and not the mind, but Udler easily bridges the intellectual and the carnal with his sensuous compositional touch.”
— Metro Santa Cruz (California)
“If Stan Getz was the first notable jazzman to incorporate Brazilian style, Rick Udler - 40 years later - returns the favor: his music is thoroughly São Paulo but with a healthy infusion of blues, jazz, funk and ragtime.”
— Lansing State Journal
“...At times his style is reminiscent of Earl Klugh’s best solo work, at times the sweetness of Paulinho Nogueira and there are even touches of Villa-Lobos.”
— Acústico
“With clean, precise and swinging phrasing, he condenses the Baden Powell and Paulinho Nogueira traditions of playing with his blues and jazz roots.”
— Violão Pro
“It’s something of a commonplace to say that a given artist has a foot in two different cultures—but in Rick Udler’s case, it’s actually true. He has lived for long stretches of time in both the U.S. and Brazil. You could even say he could even claim to three, four or maybe five different cultures, since he was actually born in Chile—to Argentine parents of Eastern European extraction. Having talked to him about his roots, I’m pretty sure he would only lay claim to the U.S. and Brazil as his spiritual homes. But then again, his musical colleague Brazilian artist Ulisses Rocha is not unjustified in saying that he hears in Rick’s music, “the music of the world.”
— Gregor von Kallahann
Rick Udler has performed and recorded with some of Brazil's finest musicians such as Maria Alvim, Joao Parahyba, Bocato and Toninho Pinheiro. His compositions include collaborations with Paulo Cesar Pinheiro, one of Brazil's most admired and prolific lyricists. He was also the producer of legendary Bossa Nova guitarist Paulinho Nogueira's Reflexoes CD.
Rhythm & Romance, with singer Maria Alvim was awarded "Best Debut Album" in the USA by nationally syndicated radio program, The Sounds of Brazil.
Rick's first entirely instrumental CD, Papaya, has received unanimous praise from the Brazilian and international press. The Brazilian Sound for Fingerstyle Guitar, a DVD lesson taught by Rick was released in the USA and Europe in 2009.
He has been performing with Sampa Blue since 2011 as well as with the Maria Alvim & Rick Udler duo.
In 2013 and 2015, Rick did solo tours of the USA & Canada as well as giving Brazilian Guitar Workshops at American universities such as Georgia State University, McNally Smith College of Music and Bellarmine University.
Until early 2020, Rick had been active touring and giving workshops in Brazil and in the USA. During the pandemic, teaching kept him busy as he stopped performing. Currently, Rick divides his time between teaching and performing. He lives in Sāo Paulo, Brazil and has also resided in New Orleans, Los Angeles and Miami, all of which have left their indelible mark on his music.
