Emil Richards


Emil Richards was an American vibraphonist and percussionist.
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Biography

Early life

Richards was born in Hartford, Connecticut to Italian immigrant parents who ran a meat market.

Musician

Richards began playing the xylophone aged 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. His mallet pupils included Morten Grønvad, Stan Levey and Bo Wagner. 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 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
With The SurfmenThe Sounds of Exotic Island
  • ''Hawaii''

As sideman

With Louis BellsonEcue Prime Time Louie Bellson Jam
With Alessi BrothersAlessi
With Frank CappPercussion 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
With Rosemary ClooneyThat Travelin' Two-Beat
With Nat King ColeNat King Cole Sings/George Shearing Plays Let's Face the Music!
With George DukeI Love the Blues, She Heard My Cry Liberated Fantasies From Me to You
With Michael GiacchinoThe Incredibles Ratatouille Coco Spider-Man: Homecoming War for the Planet of the Apes
With George HarrisonDark Horse Thirty Three & 1/3 George Harrison
With Paul HornSomething Blue The Sound of Paul Horn Profile of a Jazz Musician Impressions of Cleopatra Jazz Suite on the Mass Texts
With James Newton HowardOff Limits Grand Canyon Outbreak Waterworld
With Quincy JonesThe Hot Rock OST Roots The Color Purple Basie & Beyond
With Roger KellawayThe Roger Kellaway Cello Quartet Come to the Meadow Nostalgia Suite
With Stan KentonArtistry in Jazz Stan Kenton Conducts the Los Angeles Neophonic Orchestra Hair Kenton's Christmas New Horizons Volume 1 New Horizons Volume 2
With Julie LondonJulie...At Home All Through the Night: Julie London Sings the Choicest of Cole Porter
With Henry ManciniThe Hawaiians Symphonic Soul The Jazz Sound from Peter Gunn
With Harry PartchThe World of Harry Partch Delusion of the Fury Harry Partch: A Portrait
With Shorty RogersBossa Nova Jazz Waltz The Fourth Dimension in Sound An Invisible Orchard
With Lalo SchifrinMore Mission: Impossible, featured in a chimes solo on "Self-Destruct"Rock Requiem Gypsies Rush Hour 2 Rush Hour 3
With ShadowfaxShadowfax Shadowdance Too Far to Whisper Folksongs for a Nuclear Village Esperanto
With George ShearingIn the Night Latin Lace Shearing On Stage! On the Sunny Side of the Strip The Shearing Touch! Satin Affair
With Frank SinatraRing-a-Ding-Ding! Sinatra's Swingin' Session!!! Sinatra Swings Come Swing with Me! Sinatra and Strings Point of No Return Sinatra and Swingin' Brass The Concert Sinatra It Might as Well Be Swing Sinatra Sings Days of Wine and Roses, Moon River, and Other Academy Award Winners Softly, as I Leave You 12 Songs of Christmas My Kind of Broadway That's Life Strangers in the Night Cycles My Way A Man Alone Sinatra & Company Ol' Blue Eyes Is Back Some Nice Things I've Missed She Shot Me Down Duets
With The Manhattan TransferThe Spirit of St. Louis
With L. SubramaniamFantasy Without Limits Blossom Indian Express Spanish Wave Salaam Bombay!
With Frank ZappaLumpy Gravy Orchestral Favorites Läther
With Hans ZimmerBroken Arrow The Thin Red Line The Last Samurai
With others