Gavin Walker
Aug 4, 2007, 10:19 PM
Band leader, Stan Kenton was always open to new concepts and extended works(concertos, if you will) by various composers such as Bill Russo, Pete Rugolo, Robert Graettinger and tonight's feature composer/arranger Johnny Richards. Richards' most famous work for Kenton was "Cuban Fire" but this evening's concerto reaches the same musical heights and it is called "Adventures in Time". Johnny Richards was born Juan Ricardo de Cascales in Schenectady,New York of Mexican parents on November 2, 1911 and died October 7, 1968 in New York City. Johnny wrote music and arranged charts for just about every major big band.....Charlie Barnet, Dizzy Gillespie to name only two. He studied with Arnold Schoenberg and wrote for films in London and Hollywood and occasionally led his own big band. His writing was dense and complex but always swinging and rhythmic. He wrote very very difficult parts and some musicians thought he was sadistic in his joy at throwing the players curves....but when the kinks were ironed out and the score was performed or recorded everybody marvelled at their own abilities and said.......yeah! didn't we sound great? Yeah,Johnny! Tonight's feature was recorded a few years after "Cuban Fire" with a later but no less great edition of the Kenton band. It's brass heavy with not only the usual trumpets and trombones but with mellophoniums(a simpler french horn) plus a tuba. The saxophone section has the usual altos and tenors but is bolstered by two baritone saxophones. A big sound with some fine soloists such as Marvin Stamm on trumpet, Gabe Baltazar on alto(smokin') and Don Menza(The Red Baron) on tenor and others and Kenton's fine piano work. However the real star is Johnny Richards who wrote, arranged and conducted the orchestra on this magnificent eight part suite......"Adventures in Time, A Concerto For Orchestra" Do check it out tonight at 11pm or better still catch the whole show from 9pm.