Johnny Richards: Discover this Progressive Big Band Leader Through His Mosaic Select #17 Set

Everyone knows inside and outside of jazz the name Duke Ellington, and perhaps Stan Kenton?

Within progressive jazz circles, arrangers Gil Evans was well known. In the 70's Don Ellis threatened to be a household name, but died at the age of 44 in 1978.

Band Leader Stan Kenton wasn't everyone's cup of tea, his brand of jazz didn't swing heavily a good portion of the time, and as far as popular jazz critic go, that's a cardinal sin.

Perhaps Kenton's finest arranger, and one of the most swinging was very likely Johnny Richards (1911-1968). Outside of Bob Graettinger, Richards was certainly the most progressive of the Kenton arrangers. The Latin styles he championed were also swinging and perhaps masked some of their complexity.

Swingin' Latin Style With Stan Kenton's Orchestra

One of the Early complaints about Stan's first forays into Latin Music was it wasn't authentic enough.

Stan say in the Artistry in Rhythm DVD, something was always missing. Time signatures, or rhythm styles would be just enough of kilter to disappoint those who expected more.

Miles Davis once said: "You couldn't play black music if you weren't black." I suspect Latin music would be much the same. The authenticity is what you need, the deep down in the heart of it folk music, what drives and inspires you side of it.

For example I can only think of a few white blues guitarists that played like the great black players, Stevie Ray Vaughan is one, and another is Johnny Winter. I have grown to really dig Winter over the years, pretty authentic sounding blues guitar.

 I always thought the British guitarists were missing something on that side of it, great guitarists no doubt, but Vaughan and Winter were closer to the source I think, their vibrato and phrasing is more authentic, maybe I am splitting hairs?

Sort of like they are able to tap into a feeling, the emotion that is so elusive for the British players "IS" within them.  So I get it, the need for the real deal feeling when playing any folk music, Kenton's Cuban music was no different.

I also realized Miles was talking about the life experiences of the Black man. Jim Crow in full swing, and civil rights just a hope in the hearts of those concerned. Miles meant those white guys couldn't play black music authentically because they didn't experience the same things blacks did. I suppose Stan was having the same issues with Cuban music?

I think over the years, as other races inter mingled and gained empathy for one another, along with respecting each others musically, they were able to at least put on the shoes of the other guy to some extent.

Stan Kenton certainly did not share much in common with the Latin musicians in and around New York City Circa 1950, but Stan was wise enough to listen to those people who always complained that his first attempts at Cuban infused orchestra music weren't authentic.

The best thing that ever happened to Stan Kenton in my opinion was when arranger Johnny Richards teamed up with Stan. Richards, a Mexican immigrant and influenced by Duke Ellington, was asked by Stan to create an authentic Latin suite that would satisfy those Latin musicians in New York.

Cuban Fire (1956) might be the greatest Kenton album, and may just be the most important and influential Latin big band album ever made. Cuban Fire was so well received, that Richards was offered and accepted a contract to lead his own band and record for Bethlehem Records.


Richards went on to record some of his own classics, like Wide Range and Rites of Diablo, Johnny is one of the real underrated band leaders of all time.

Kenton nearly matched the success of Cuban Fire with Viva Kenton in 1959, and Artistry in Bossa Nova from 1963, both expanding on the authentic world music vibe that Kenton discovered.

Funny isn't it, how Kenton has the reputation of not swinging? I don't know about you, but you can't swing too much harder than Cuban Fire in my mind, I guess swinging is in the ear of the hearer.

I can't think of much after 1956 that I have heard from Kenton that didn't swing,  sure he wasn't swingin' like a mother, like Buddy Rich was in the 60's..... But his music has always been enjoyable to me.

These pictured vinyl copies can be found on eBay in near mint condition for 10 dollars a piece if you shop around, you can always find nice playing Kenton LP lots for sale at good prices.

Dee Barton: Clint Eastwood, Stan Kenton and Everywhere in Between

One of the fascinating things about life is variety, after all it is the spice of life.  I also like when that variety intermingles seamlessly with the different interests I have.

One such interest is Clint Eastwood, Only a few movies of his I don't like, his whole persona intrigues me, not to mention how he developed into a fine Oscar caliber actor and a Director on par with the likes of Scorsese and Coppola.

Another interest is jazz, with modern progressive big band being one of my particular focuses. I dig Ellington, and Gil Evans quite a bit, but Stan Kenton has always struck a chord with me. He's not universally loved, or even respected.

I have been listening to jazz since around 1996/1997, and Kenton was one of the bands my dad did not like, he was a swing guy, dixieland and such, didn't have taste for the progressive sounds at all.  It trully didn't mean a thing if it didn't have that swing to him.

Stan Kenton-Left, Dee Barton-Right.

I was fortunate, 2 CD's my dad passed off on me were,  ...Plays the Jazz Compositions of Dee Barton. and Adventures in Jazz, Both fantastic 60's albums from Kenton, both albums do swing some, they find a happy median I think.

OK how does Clint Eastwood figure into this? Well, one of my favorite Eastwood films is Play Misty for Me (1971), his directorial debut, and a chilling ahead-of-its-time thriller, long before Glenn Close was cooking rabbits on stove tops, Jessica Walter was going berserk and plunging long blade scissors into unsuspecting  detectives and housekeepers.

I had long been a fan of the film, it all clicked when the credits rolled, music composed by Dee Barton. I was thinking that's the guy who composed that "Waltz of the Prophets" Track I liked so much, and of course the Compositions of Dee Barton.

I then found out that Barton did the score for Thunderbolt and Lightfoot, and High Plains Drifter for Clint as well. Here are some cool photos of Dee, one with Clint I believe from the late 70's.

You won't find a whole lot of jazz from Dee beyond The Kenton Band, and some of the jazzier scores for Eastwood, but you won't find much jazz in High Plains Drifter that's for sure.

Dee Barton was born during the month of Sept in the year 1937, and left this earth in December 2001. Dee not only was an underrated film score composer and jazz orchestra arranger, he was also an accomplished trombonist and Drummer for the Kenton band.

 From what I can gather, Dee spent time with Kenton from 1961 to 1970, with a live show from Redlands University being the final release Dee appeared on with Kenton.

 In any event Dee should go down with all the other fine Kenton arrangers, like Bill Holman, Bill Russo, and Johnny Richards. Kenton's 1960's years are quite good, with that balance between progressive jazz and swing.

 I think Kenton's 60's and 70's albums are all worth acquiring. Kenton allowed much more of a counter culture element into the music, playing many standards of the day, and even allowing some funk elements to drift into the style.

If you get a chance to check out that Play Misty For Me DVD do it, there is a lot of nice jazz stuff mixed throughout the film, even a lengthy segment at the Monterrey Jazz Festival, with Cannonball Adderley's early 70's group.

Don Ellis' Electric Bath: A Great Album From an Underrated Band Leader

Is the Don Ellis Orchestra the Most underrated Big Band Jazz group of all time? Honestly I have a hard time thinking any other band was less recognized during its day.

After the trumpeter leader Don Ellis' death after suffering a massive heart attack in 1978 at the age of 44, the band seems to have had its fame extinguished along with its leader.

I think that had Ellis lived and the band continued, eventually Ellis would have received a lot more recognition.

Don Ellis could have been a house hold name, He did the film score for the Oscar winning The French Connection, as well as a similar Roy Scheider vehicle The 7 Ups. What I like about Don Ellis the most is his sense of humor, he really doesn't take himself too seriously, as many jazz musicians in particular can.

 I like the jovial way Don would introduce songs, especially those with unorthodox time signatures. Many a critic at the time did not warm up to this part of Don's personality, go figure?

Don did a few live albums for Pacific Jazz, Live at Monterey being the one that put the orchestra on the map. That success drew the eye of John Hammond of Columbia Records, where don put together the orchestra's first studio album Electric Bath.

I still believe Electric Bath is Don's Magnum Opus, an album that fused the Middle Eastern and Indian styles Don was into with just enough of a pop sensibility to make the album and the orchestra a pretty big hit, and an even bigger hit on college campuses.

Don was also an above average trumpet player who cut his teeth in the bands of George Russel in the early 60's. One such record was Ezz-thetics, an album that also included the great altoist Eric Dolphy.

The Highlight of this album Electric Bath is "Turkish Bath" I just love Ray Neapolitan's sitar throughout the track, the music feels like it could derail at any moment, as it ebbs and flows nearly out of control, such is the complexity.

 The entire album actually feels this way, the difficult time signatures on the edge of what these musicians could accomplish I suppose, but accomplish they did.

"Open Beauty" is an important track as Don uses an atmospheric back drop to highlight his echo-plex electric trumpet, and the music sounds more like something Miles Davis would do a year later on In a Silent Way, yet another example of how Don's innovation and ultimate genius goes unnoticed even today.

Every single track on Electric Bath is a keeper, no filler at all. This particular vinyl copy will run you in the $10-15 range for a VG+ or better copy, the reissue CD also sounds
remarkable.

If you like modern progressive big band, don't allow the Don Ellis Orchestra to slip through the cracks of your music listening play lists.

 You should have this featured album, as well as the Pacific albums, and Soaring from MPS records. All of Don's albums are worth exploring.

Xavier Cugat's Cugi's Cocktails: A Jazzy/Lounge Dance Album Circa 1963

 Xavier Cugat (1900-1990) first showed up on my radar during an episode of the 1970's Emmy Award Television Show ALL in the Family.

Cugat was mentioned during a game between Archie (Carrol O'Connor) and Meathead (Rob Reiner) where they would mention a band leader's initials, and then the other would try to guess the name.

Anyway, Archie submitted E.C., when Meathead could not come up with name, Archie replies Eggsavier Cugat of course, Meathead went nuts repeating "Xavier begins with an X".

Funny what kids remember? When I noticed this vinyl copy of Cugi's Cocktails, I immediately harkened back to that All in the family episode. Turns out this is a pretty good pop big band album as well.

Drinks like "Zombie" for you Walking Dead Fans, "One Mint Julip" for you folks from Louisville, and "Cuba Libre"my personal Favorite.

Cugi's C0cktails is just a sublime jazzy lounge/dance album. Many of these songs are meant to be dance numbers, "not my cup of tea," but dances like "the Rhumba", "the Mambo", and "the Cha Cha" are mentioned. The music is quite good, and well recorded.

Vinyl Copies like this Stereo version of Cugi's Cocktails are very tough to come by right now, I don't know why exactly.

 The album was a big seller in 1963,  you would think there would be an ample amount of copies out there?