Aqui Se Habla Español by Johnny Richards Orchestra, released in 1967.

Nicely swingin' LP put together by the man who supervised some of Stan Kenton's best afro-cuban sessions. Richards is one of the most swinging, hard hitting bandleaders to come out of the post-swing era, and his handling of Latin material is always filled with a lot of fire, and a good sense of rhythm and soloing. Clifford Jordan is handling a number of the tenor solos here, and the rest of the band's pretty hot too. Tracks include "Viva Gordo", "Imprevu", "Pulque", "Manzanita", "Pata De Azul", and "Nada Mas" - Dusty Groove

https://archive.org/details/lp_aqui-se-habla-espaol_johnny-richards

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lMjAqV8AaYk&list=RDlMjAqV8AaYk&start_radio=1

#JohnnyRichards #StanKenton #AfroCuban #Jazz #BigBAnd #LatinJazz #Music #CliffordJordan

Cuban Fire! is an album by Stan Kenton and his orchestra released in 1956 by Capitol Records. This was Stan Kenton's big band's first full-length recording of Afro-Cuban-styled music...

...the Cuban Fire! suite and LP stands as a watershed set of compositions for Johnny Richards' career and an outstanding commercial/artistic achievement for the Kenton orchestra, and a singular landmark in large ensemble Latin jazz recordings. "The reason we (i.e Kenton) made CUBAN FIRE! is interesting. We had recorded a lot of Afro-Cuban music, and a lot of the Latin guys around New York complained: 'It's wrong, you're not writing the music correctly.'" Stan Kenton then asked composer Johnny Richards (long time staff arranger for Kenton) to write an authentic Latin “suite” that would abide by all the rules many Afro-Cuban musicians had complained about. - Wikipedia

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aVvW576c830&list=RDaVvW576c830&start_radio=1

#StanKenton #JohnnyRichards #AfroCuban #Jazz #Swing #BigBand #Music #LatinJazz

Annotations Of The Muses by Johnny Richards, released on Roost Records in 1955.

From the back cover: There has been much talk in recent years about the close relastionship between jazz and what is usually called classical music (or sometimes "serious music", as if jazz musicians were kidding). They're coming closer and closer together, this talk usually goes. It's getting so you can't tell where one leaves off and the other begins, somebody says – wistfully, as if it where sinful or something to be ashamed of. And then somebody else – me, if I'm part of this familiar conversation – asks what all the sad words are about; why such viewing with alarm; why the dissatisfaction; it's music, isn't it?

– Barry Ulanov, Down Beat columnist, former editor of Metronome, author of A History of Jazz in America.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wQ9iZ3MKWII&list=RDwQ9iZ3MKWII&start_radio=1

#JohnnyRichards #Jazz #ThirdStream #Music #1955inmusic

The Rites Of Diablo by Johnny Richards released in 1958 on Roulette Records

"A rare and sought after piece of jazz exotica, The Rites Of Diablo, was originally released in 1958 on Roulette’s Birdland series. Recorded in New York’s Webster Hall, with Johnny Richards's usual orchestra augmented by seven percussionists (including Sabu Martinez), and eight vocalists (The Dave Lambert Singers), this album is Richards’ interpretation of the rituals of the Bantu people of Southern Africa. A wild, dark, and percussive trip, The Rites Of Diablo, is a exotica masterwork lovingly reissued on 180 gram LP by the fine folks at So Far Out."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Zb-ukOxz28

#johnnyrichards #jazzexotica #sabumartinez #bantu #stankenton #bigband #jazz #1958inmusic #exotica

Experiments In Sound by Johnny Richards, released on Capitol in 1958.

Wonderful stuff from one of the most overlooked arrangers of the 50s! Richards was Stan Kenton's right hand man at one time – and he's got a style that mixes jazz and modernism in the same style as Pete Rugolo, but with a bit more of a commitment to swinging. This rare 1958 set for Capitol is less experimental than the title might make you think – but the jazz is infused with plenty of freshness, and the whole thing's packaged in a really wonderful abstract cover! Players include Gene Quill, Ray Copeland, Frank Socolow, and Julius Watkins – and titles include "Terpischore", "Neolore", "This Time", and "Omo Ado" - Dusty Groove.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aO1vhzpN5JA&list=PLuzwV84YffrmoeT-rUtWOvqz7cSFRCqqJ&index=1

#johnnyrichards #bigband #swing #jazz #stankenton #1958inmusic

Wide Range by Johnny Richards And His Orchestra released in 1957 on Capitol.

"Wide Range is the second LP by mexican-american player, band leader and arranger Johnny Richards. It was recorded on july of 1957 in New York City, where he lived and was a regular in hip places of the era, like Nola's and Carrol's.

The title of the album is meant to point to the wide range of sounds and styles that characterized Richards' way of musical life and interests. From old american ballads to blues; some swing here and some hollowness there...

..One can expect a decent-to-great level of quality in all of Johnny Richards' recordings and this is no exception." lalofn21 on ratemymusic

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KOI0qGStIvA

#johnnyrichards #stankenton #bigband #jazz #thirdstream

Annotations Of The Muses by Johnny Richards released on Legends in 1955.

Johnny Richards (born Juan Manuel Cascales, November 2, 1911 – October 7, 1968) was an American jazz arranger and composer scoring numerous sound tracks for television and film. He was a pivotal composer/arranger for cutting edge, adventurous performances and recording sessions by Stan Kenton's big band in the 1950s and early 1960s; such as Cuban Fire!, Kenton's West Side Story and Adventures in Time.

His own debut LP was the adventurous three-part third stream piece "Annotations of the Muses,"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_GraGqheg4A

#johnnyrichards #thirdstream #jazz #stankenton #1955inmusic #mexicanamericans

Walk Softy / Run Wild by Johnny Richards released in 1959

Marc Myers wrote for Jazz Wax:

"As West Coast arrangers go, Johnny Richards was spectacular. Like Bill Holman and Shorty Rogers, he had an authentic feel for the Hollywood scene and how to blend glamour with art. To stir this mood, Richards made wonderful use of French horns and piccolos, and he always threw in a touch of Latin flavor. His arrangements for Stan Kenton stand out, but his leadership albums are truly special...

...Walk Softly, Run Wild!... Recorded in May 1959, the album featured Burt Collins, Jerry Kail, John Bello and Ray Copeland (tp); Billy Byers, Jimmy Cleveland and Jim Dahl (tb); Julius Watkins (fhr); Jay McAllister (tu); Gene Quill (as); Frank Socolow (ts); Bill Slapin (bar,fl,pic); Shelly Gold (bassax); Johnny Knapp (p); Chet Amsterdam (b); Ed Shaughnessy (d); Warren Smith (perc) and Johnny Richards (arr,dir)."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LnGMAbl_qsQ

#johnnyrichards #swing #bigband #stankenton #jazz #latin #1959