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Johnny Richards
Johnny Richards (born Juan Manuel Cascale) was an American jazz arranger and composer He was a pivotal arranger for some of the more adventurous performances by Stan Kenton's big band in the 1950s and early 1960, such as Cuban Fire! and Kenton's West Side Story.
Richards was born in Toluca, Mexico, to a Spanish father (Juan Cascales y Valero) and a Mexican mother (Maria Celia Arrue aka Marie Cascales), whose parents were Spanish immigrants to Mexico. He entered the United States on August 4, 1919 at Laredo, Texas, along with his mother, three brothers (also professional musicians) and sister:
Richards' father, Juan Cascales y Valero, immigrated earlier, crossing the border at Laredo, Texas, on June 4, 1919. The family lived first in Los Angeles, California and later in San Fernando, California, where Joe, Johnny, and Chuck attended and graduated from San Fernando High School. In 1930, Richards was living in Fullerton, California, and attending Fullerton College.
Richards worked in Los Angeles, California, from the late 1930s to 1952. In 1952, he moved to New York City. He had been arranging for Stan Kenton since 1950 and continued to do so through the mid-1960s. He also led his own bands throughout his career. In addition, he wrote the music for the popular song "Young at Heart" (1953), made famous by Frank Sinatra and others.
Richards died October 7, 1968, in New York City, of a brain tumor. Reviewers have deemed his style as being influenced by Duke Ellington and Pete Rugolo.
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Backgrounder: Johnny Richards' Walk Softly
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JazzWax by Marc Myers
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 glamor 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. Born Juan Manuel Cascales in Mexico in 1911, Richards came to the ...
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Backgrounder: Johnny Richards Something Else
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JazzWax by Marc Myers
One of my very favorite big band albums is Johnny Richards' Something Else. Recorded for Bethlehem in Los Angeles in August 1956, the album features Richards compositions and arrangements and a band that will make West Coast jazz fans gasp. Waltz Anyone featured Pete Candoli, Buddy Childers and Maynard Ferguson (tp); Stu Williamson (tp,v-tb); Tommy Pederson, Frank Rosolino and Milt Bernhart (tb); John Cave (fhr); Albert Pollan (tu); Charlie Mariano (as); Richie Kamuca (ts); Ronnie Lang (bar,pic); Bill Holman (bassax); ...
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Perfect Album: Something Else
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JazzWax by Marc Myers
I was going to post today about a Hot Track" but decided instead to simply start a new feature called Perfect Album." Yesterday I was listening to Johnny Richards' Something Else, one of my absolute favorite big-band albums. Something Else was recorded for Bethlehem in Hollywood on August 2 and 3, 1956. What made Richards (above) special as an arranger was his fiery romanticism and percussive moodiness. A highly progressive writer, Richards thought big. Really big. And he loved his ...
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Johnny Richards: Kiss Her Goodbye
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JazzWax by Marc Myers
In the summer of 1958, Johnny Richards took his orchestra into a Warner Bros. studio in New York to record the soundtrack for a low-budget film that was being shot in Cuba. The movie was Kiss Her Goodbye, starring Elaine Stritch as a young woman who loses her sanity. Richards asked David Allyn to sing the title theme. More with David in a minute. But when Fidel Castro seized power in Cuba in January 1959, he confiscated the film, which ...
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