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

Volume 1: The Quintets by Lennie Niehaus on Contemporary from 1956.

"Leonard Niehaus (June 1, 1929 – May 28, 2020)[1] was an American alto saxophonist, composer and arranger on the West Coast jazz scene. He played with the Stan Kenton Orchestra and served as one of Kenton's primary staff arrangers.[2] He also played with Ray Vasquez and trombonist and Vocalist, Phil Carreon and other jazz bands on the U.S. West Coast. Niehaus had a close association as composer and arranger on motion pictures produced and directed by Clint Eastwood." - Wikipedia

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bwNoSN5JyfI&list=PLZClW7CpBDuawNRv5Z23xmyZSFGJjYUZN&index=1

#LennieNiehaus #stankenton #cooljazz #1956inmusic

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

The Peanut Vendor 🥜
#StanKenton
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lw-wrARhtOU

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

Artistry In Rhythm 🎛
#StanKenton
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q5L0TS3V91Y

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

Artistry in Voices and Brass is an album by the Stan Kenton Orchestra revisiting their popular compositions with new lyrics composed by Milt Raskin and arranged by Pete Rugolo for an 18-member vocal chorus and trombone section recorded in 1963 and released by Capitol Records.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fWkI4vqKxkI

#stankenton #miltraskin #peterugolo #bigband #vocalchorus

Artistry in Bossa Nova is an album by the Stan Kenton Orchestra performing old and new compositions arranged in a bossa nova style recorded and released by Capitol Records in 1963.

The Allmusic review by Scott Yanow noted "Although one might consider this project to be an example of Kenton jumping on the bandwagon (since the bossa nova fad was at its peak at the time), the music is quite enjoyable" - Wikipedia

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

#stankenton #bigband #bossanova #swing

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

Adventures in Blues is an album by the Stan Kenton Orchestra featuring compositions by Gene Roland recorded in late 1961 and released by Capitol Records in 1963.

The Allmusic review by Scott Yanow noted "This is one of the finer recordings by the Mellophonium Band, arguably Stan Kenton's last great orchestra. With the use of 20 horns, Roland was able to get a surprising amount of variety out of the material, making this a Kenton recording well worth investigating". On All About Jazz William Grim wrote "This may be the most swinging of all of Kenton's albums because the arrangements were done by Gene Roland, the most consistently swinging of all of the great arrangers who honed their talents writing for the Kenton juggernaut. ...Adventures in Blues is a great album and gives conclusive proof that when the music called for it, the Stan Kenton Orchestra could swing with the best of them". - Wikipedia

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t-Uf3fea1YE&list=PLBIiojdRsFPDYP098a73D1jkUEi8BJUk5&index=1

#stankenton #bigbandjazz #swing #blues #generoland

Kenton's West Side Story is an album by the Stan Kenton Orchestra recorded in 1961 and released by Capitol Records.

"Arranger Johnny Richards is responsible for the sometimes wild, sometimes mournful, but always interesting reading by the Kenton band of the "West Side Story" score. Kenton has assembled a huge orchestra to play the exciting music from the show and top-flight stereo recording make the listener's room jump with the life of the music. Naturally there are good doses of jazz in the set and some tine solo highlights by Kenton himself at piano. The excellence of the LP as a whole, effective use of stereo positioning, and release timed with showing of the "West Side" motion picture all should aid in sales of the album."

Billboard

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IjKSRnxry3k

#stankenton #bigbandjazz #westsidestory #johnnyrichards

Stan Kenton! Tex Ritter! is an album by the Stan Kenton Orchestra with country music vocalist Tex Ritter performing country music compositions arranged in a big band style recorded and released by Capitol Records in 1962.

The Allmusic review by Bruce Eder noted "overall this wasn't the worst idea in the world. The public never bought it, however, and the album was quickly deleted". - Wikipedia

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hr9SkFgyG5Q&list=PLBIiojdRsFPCJJHqsDSjFd_67DOhFsBvu&index=1

#stankenton #texritter #bigband #bigbandjazz #countryandwestern

Ended yesterday and welcomed today after my swim with Sophisticated Approach an album by the Stan Kenton Orchestra recorded in 1961 and released by Capitol Records.

Sumptuous and sophisticated Kenton is a good end and start to the day!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UJWMY_YDJOM&list=OLAK5uy_nWJKCs9vR8LG2mv51_jzNGTMnUWe-GVgg&index=1

#stankenton #bigbandjazz #bigband

Adventures in Jazz is a 1962 album by the Stan Kenton Orchestra.[1] The album won a Grammy Award in the category for Best Jazz Performance – Large Group (Instrumental) category in 1963. This was Kenton's second Grammy, after his first received for Kenton's West Side Story in 1962.

.."Turtle Talk" starts the album and is the "opening act" for Dee Barton as a composer and new trombonist for the Kenton Orchestra. Barton would later take the drum chair on the Kenton band showing the multi-talents he brought to the table for this group and later studio work he would do. Both "Turtle Talk" and "Waltz of the Prophets" use the same harmonic pallet of relying on augmented chords and whole tone scales....Barton later went on to fame (like other Kenton writers Pete Rugolo and Lennie Niehaus) as a composer for films such as Clint Eastwood's Play Misty for Me.. - Wikipedia

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adventures_in_Jazz_(album)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r7PwcUU89gI

#stankenton #bigbandjzz #progessivejazz #billholman #deebarton #1962inmusic

Stan Kenton Story: Artistry in Rhythm
Stan Kenton released in 2000

A great compilation of classic Stan Kenton tracks.

It's prog jazz daddio!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mSBMMnl8R0E

#stankenton #bigbandjazz #progressivejazz #jazz

A Merry Christmas! is an album of Christmas music by the Stan Kenton Orchestra recorded in 1961 and released by Capitol Records.

The Allmusic review by Matt Collar noted A Merry Christmas is a polyphonic masterpiece that is at once progressive and traditional. ...Featuring Kenton's idiosyncratic style of arranging piercing trumpets over a wooly blanket of trombones and mellophones, this is beautiful, forward-thinking and angular music that addresses both complex classical harmony and Basie-style swing"

#stankenton #bigbandjazz #polyphonic #1961inmusic #xmasjazz

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ryZgBjUjAoo&list=PL70wBCLbsyto3LisdMQ0LeaW9NCnaxher&index=1

I'm Shooting High is the first solo album recorded by Ann Richards released for Capitol Records in November 1958 (Capitol T-1087, stereo). The arranger for the session was Warren Barker and all selections for the album were conducted by Brian Farnon.

Will Friedwald writes in his A Biographical Guide to the Great Jazz and Pop Singers: "After four years of just being Mrs. Stan Kenton, Richards recorded her first solo album, I'm Shooting High, for which arranger and saxophonist Warren Barker supplied Kenton-Rugolo-style charts." - Wikipedia

#annrichards #vocaljazz #stankenton #warrenbarker

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xHdfQ6fTQkg

Big Bands only: Stan Kenton & his orchestra (1972 - Londres)
https://bigbandsonly.blogspot.com/2025/03/stan-kenton-his-orchestra-1972-londres.html
#jazz #bigband #StanKenton

Intermission Riff 😩
#StanKenton
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R3b1qN1DPso