Emil Richards
Emil Richards born Emilio Joseph Radocchia was an American vibraphonist and percussionist.
Biography
Musician
Richards started playing the xylophone at age six. In high school he performed with the Hartford Symphony Orchestra. He studied with Al Lepak at the Hartt School of Music in Hartford, graduating in 1952. After being drafted, he belonged to an Army band in Japan and played with Toshiko Akiyoshi. He cited Lionel Hampton as his first and biggest influence on vibraphone.In 1954 Richards moved to New York City, where he played with Charles Mingus, Ed Shaughnessy, and Ed Thigpen while doing studio recordings for Perry Como, the Ray Charles Singers, and Mitchell Ayres. For about three years he was a member of a group led by George Shearing, then moved to Los Angeles and worked with Don Ellis and Paul Horn. He led his own band, the Microtonal Blues Band, and spent time with composer and inventor Harry Partch. As a sideman, he accompanied George Harrison on tour and recorded with Frank Sinatra, Frank Zappa, Doris Day, Judy Garland, Nelson Riddle, Steely Dan, and Sarah Vaughan.
Richards worked often as a studio musician for movies and television. His credits include playing bongos on the theme song for the television program Mission Impossible. Other television work included finger snaps for the Addams Family theme, and xylophone work for the opening theme of The Simpsons. He led a band with Joe Porcaro, and he released a solo album, The Wonderful World of Percussion.
On June 25, 2019, The New York Times Magazine listed Emil Richards among hundreds of artists whose material was reportedly destroyed in the 2008 Universal fire.
Richards died on December 13, 2019.
Collector
In 1962, Richards went on a worldwide tour with Frank Sinatra to raise money for poor children. The tour increased Richards's fascination with ethnic percussion instruments. During his career he has collected over 350 instruments, many of them more common in the East than the West. Richards wanted his instruments to continue to be heard in recordings and other performances and to remain together as much as possible. The Emil Richards Collection includes common percussion, such as xylophone and marimba and exotic, such as the angklung, bulbul tarang, chimta, flapamba, jal tarang, janggu, lujon, mbira, and pakhavaj.In 1992, he gave sixty-five instruments to the Percussive Arts Society museum in Lawton, Oklahoma. He was a member of the Society's Hall of Fame. Part of the collection was sold to Los Angeles Percussion Rentals. Many instruments were restored and are used in recordings and other performances in Los Angeles. LAPR works with Odd Art Fabrications to custom design and fabricate instruments and hardware such as chromatically tuned wood blocks and chromatically tuned bell plate.
Discography
As leader
- Yazz Per Favore
- New Sound Element Stones
- New Time Element
- Cosmic Sounds with the Zodiac
- Journey to Bliss
- Spirit of 1976/Live at Donte's
- Wonderful World of Percussion
- Luntana
- The Sounds of Exotic Island
- Hawaii
As sideman
- Ecue
- Prime Time
- Louie Bellson Jam
- Percussion in a Tribute to Henry Mancini
- Percussion in a Tribute to Glenn Miller
- Percussion in a Tribute to Lawrence Welk
- In a Tribute to the Dorsey Brothers
- In a Tribute to Count Basie
- I Love the Blues, She Heard My Cry
- Liberated Fantasies
- From Me to You
- Coco
- Spider-Man: Homecoming
- War for the Planet of the Apes
- Dark Horse
- Extra Texture
- Thirty Three & 1/3
- George Harrison
- Something Blue
- The Sound of Paul Horn
- Profile of a Jazz Musician
- Impressions of Cleopatra
- Jazz Suite on the Mass Texts
- Off Limits
- Grand Canyon
- Outbreak
- Waterworld
- The Hot Rock OST
- Roots
- The Color Purple
- Basie & Beyond
- The Roger Kellaway Cello Quartet
- Come to the Meadow
- Nostalgia Suite
- Artistry in Jazz
- Stan Kenton Conducts the Los Angeles Neophonic Orchestra
- Hair
- Kenton's Christmas
- New Horizons Volume 1
- New Horizons Volume 2
- Julie...At Home
- '
- The Hawaiians
- Symphonic Soul
- The Jazz Sound from Peter Gunn
- The World of Harry Partch
- Delusion of the Fury
- Harry Partch: A Portrait
- Bossa Nova
- Jazz Waltz
- The Fourth Dimension in Sound
- An Invisible Orchard
- Gypsies
- Rock Requiem
- Rush Hour 2
- Rush Hour 3
- Shadowfax
- Shadowdance
- Too Far to Whisper
- Folksongs for a Nuclear Village
- Esperanto
- In the Night
- Shearing On Stage!
- On the Sunny Side of the Strip
- The Shearing Touch!
- Satin Affair
- Ring-a-Ding Ding!
- It Might as Well Be Swing
- Duets
- Bossa Nova
- Just in Time
- Feelings
- Fantasy Without Limits
- Blossom
- Indian Express
- Spanish Wave
- Salaam Bombay!
- Lumpy Gravy
- Orchestral Favorites
- Läther
- Broken Arrow
- The Thin Red Line
- The Last Samurai
- Francisco Aguabella, Dance the Latin Way
- Toshiko Akiyoshi-Lew Tabackin Big Band, March of the Tadpoles
- Laurindo Almeida, Virtuoso Guitar
- Herb Alpert, Just You and Me
- Herb Alpert, Rise
- Paul Anka, Rock Swings
- Klaus Badelt, Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl
- Klaus Badelt, Pirates of the Caribbean
- The Beach Boys, The Beach Boys with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
- Bee Gees, Saturday Night Fever
- Hal Blaine, Psychedelic Percussion
- Blondie, Autoamerican
- Terence Boylan, Suzy
- Brass Fever, Brass Fever
- Les Brown, The Explosive Sound of Les Brown and His Band of Renown Swingin' the Masters!
- Bobby Caldwell, Solid Ground
- Vanessa Carlton, Be Not Nobody
- Ry Cooder, Alamo Bay
- Michael Bublé, Call Me Irresponsible
- Les Crane, Desiderata
- Marshall Crenshaw, Jaggedland
- Dick Dale, Summer Surf
- Bobby Darin, Venice Blue
- Sammy Davis Jr. & Count Basie, Our Shining Hour
- Dion DiMucci, Born to Be with You
- Dolenz, Jones, Boyce & Hart, Dolenz, Jones, Boyce & Hart
- Joao Donato, A Bad Donato
- Donovan, Slow Down World
- The Doors, Other Voices
- Sam Cooke, Ain't That Good News
- Duane Eddy, Duane Eddy
- Danny Elfman, MIB2
- Danny Elfman, Epic
- David Essex, Be-Bop the Future
- Mimi Farina & Tom Jans, Take Heart
- Victor Feldman, The Venezuela Joropo
- Jerry Fielding, Near East Brass
- Ella Fitzgerald, Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Harold Arlen Songbook
- Dominic Frontiere, On Any Sunday
- Marvin Gaye, Let's Get It On
- Lowell George, Lightning-Rod Man
- Bob Gibson, Bob Gibson
- Dizzy Gillespie, The New Continent \
- Jackie Gleason, The Now Sound... for Today's Lovers
- Jerry Goldsmith, Along Came a Spider
- Glen Gray, Sounds of the Great Bands!
- Kathe Green, Kathe Green
- Josh Groban, Illuminations
- Dave Grusin, Cinemagic
- Lani Hall, Hello It's Me
- Cyril Havermans, Cyril
- Lee Hazlewood, Something Special
- Neal Hefti, Jazz Pops
- Maurice Jarre, Gorillas in the Mist
- Pete Jolly, Seasons
- Michael Kamen, The Three Musketeers
- Michael Kamen, 101 Dalmatians
- Barney Kessel, Contemporary Latin Rhythms
- John Klemmer, Touch
- Irene Kral, Wonderful Life
- Irene Kral, Kral Space
- Diana Krall, Christmas Songs
- Peggy Lee, Blues Cross Country
- Peggy Lee, Sugar 'n' Spice
- Carly Simon, Playing Possum
- Nils Lofgren, Cry Tough
- Harvey Mandel, Baby Batter
- Shelly Manne, Daktari
- Hugh Masekela, Hugh Masekela's Latest
- Dave Mason, Split Coconut
- Lonette McKee, Lonette
- Carmen McRae, I Am Music
- Mike Melvoin, Keys to Your Mind
- Sergio Mendes, Brasil '88
- Bette Midler, Bathhouse Betty
- Liza Minnelli, Gently
- Joni Mitchell, Mingus,
- Alphonse Mouzon, The Man Incognito
- Maria Muldaur, Waitress in a Donut Shop
- Gerry Mulligan, The Age of Steam
- Sammy Nestico, This Is the Moment
- Juice Newton, Quiet Lies
- Harry Nilsson, Sandman
- Jeffrey Osborne, Stay With Me Tonight
- Jimmy and Carol Owens, The Witness
- Freda Payne, Payne and Pleasure
- Van Dyke Parks, Jump!
- Stu Phillips, A Touch of Modern
- Steve Porcaro, Metro
- Gregory Porter, Nat King Cole & Me
- John Powell, Mr. & Mrs. Smith
- Don Preston, Vile Foamy Ectoplasm
- Helen Reddy, Ear Candy
- Howard Roberts, Jaunty-Jolly!
- Robbie Robertson & Alex North, Carny
- Tommy Roe, We Can Make Music
- Linda Ronstadt, Winter Light
- Willie Ruff, The Smooth Side of Ruff
- Buffy Sainte-Marie, Sweet America
- Mongo Santamaria, Afro Roots
- Diane Schuur, Music Is My Life
- Clifford Scott, Lavender Sax
- Tom Scott, The Honeysuckle Breeze
- Tom Scott, Great Scott!
- Ravi Shankar, Charly
- Judee Sill, Heart Food
- Joanie Sommers, The Voice of the Sixties!
- Joanie Sommers, Softly, the Brazilian Sound
- Phil Spector, Back to Mono 1958-1969
- Barbra Streisand, Streisand Superman
- Gabor Szabo, Wind, Sky and Diamonds
- Bob Thiele /Gabor Szabo/Tom Scott, Light My Fire
- Toto, Dune
- Vinx, Rooms in My Fatha's House
- Tom Waits & Crystal Gayle, One from the Heart
- Wendy Waldman, Wendy Waldman
- Nancy Wilson, Guess Who I Saw Today
- Popcorn Wylie, Extrasensory Perception
- Daniel Valdez, Mestizo
- David Werner, Imagination Quota
- Gary Wright, Headin' Home''