Johnny Richards Orchestra - Softly... Wild... And Something Else (1956 Bethlehem & 1959 Coral) ( Fresh Sound 2005) CD

Include two albums:
- Something Else, 1956 lp Bethlehem BCP6011- Original mono
Also re-issued as Aijalon (1984 LP Discovery DS 895)
Also re-issued as Something Else Again, BCP6032¿¿ - 1977 re-issue- stereo lp version.
Stereo on 1956?, it's possible, but I think is a pseudostereo re-processing.
- Walk Softly, Run Wild!, 1959 (lp 1960 CORAL)- Stereo version

Johnny Richards was a man of convictions. Hearing the Richards aggregation, one can feel the leader's expansive expressiveness working. His main goal was the creation of interesting, stimulating music, not music of any particular kind. "We are an ORCHESTRA, not a band of sections; an organized orchestra of interested and interesting musicians who play a music of many dimensions and feelings." Richards once said: "Our music is ambitious. That explains why our instrumentation is not exactly standard. Although we are a jazz orchestra, this does not mean that other musical forms and rhythms cannot be incorporated into our music. After all, music is expressed in many languages. We should be aware and learn from that."

Tracklisting:

1. Waltz, Anyone? (Richards) 6:06
2. For All We Know (Coots-Lewis) 3:17
3. Dimples (Richards) 7:12
4. Band Aide (Richards) 5:06
5. Turn Aboot (Richards) 6:27
6. Burrito Borracho (Richards) 4:12
7. Long Ago And Far Away (Kern-Gershwin) 2:56
8. Aijalon (Richards) 5:46
9. Walk Softly (Richards) 2:42
10. Run Wild (Richards) 3:57
11. The Way You Look Tonight (Kern-Fields) 3:47
12. Laura (Raksin-Mercer) 4:01
13. Tempest On The Charles (Richards) 4:53
14. Sunday’s Child (Richards) 3:06
15. Alone Together (Schwartz-Dietz) 2:17
16. Three Cornered Cat (Richards) 4:06
17. You Go To My Head (Coots-Gillespie) 3:42
18. Yemaya (Richards) 6:19

Something Else, 1956 lp Bethlehem BCP6011- Original mono

Something Else Again, BCP6032¿¿ - 1977 re-issue- stereo¿¿ lp version

Tracks #2-8: Maynard Ferguson, Buddy Childers, Pete Candoli (tp); Stu Williamson (tp,vtb); Shorty Rogers (btp); Vince De Rosa (fh); Frank Rosolino, Tommy Pederson, Don Nelly (tb); Charlie Mariano (as); Richie Kamuca (ts); Ronny Lang (bs & piccolo); Bill Holman (bs); Marty Paich (p); Buddy Clark (b); Stan Levey (d); Lou Singer (mallets).
Recorded in Hollywood, August 2, 1956.

#1: John Cave (fh); Milt Bernardt replaces Vince (tb) replaces Don Nelly and Vince De Rosa. Shorty Rogers out.
Recorded in Hollywood, August 3, 1956.

Review by Scott Yanow
Although arranger Johnny Richards had led sessions as early as 1944, this Bethlehem date (reissued in 1984 as a Discovery LP) was his first full-length album. An important writer with a style of his own and most famous for his contributions to Stan Kenton's Orchestra), for this set Richards contributed six colorful originals (including Waltz Anyone, Burrito Borracho (Inebriated Donkey) and Band Aide) plus reworkings of For All We Know and Long Ago and Far Away. The 20-piece big band is full of top West Coast jazz and studio players including altoist Charlie Mariano, tenor saxophonist Richie Kamuca, trumpeters Maynard Ferguson, Stu Williamson (doubling on valve trombone), Buddy Childers and Pete Candoli, Shorty Rogers on bass trumpet, trombonist Frank Rosolino, two French horns, pianist Marty Paich and Lou Singer on xylophone. The exciting program was one of Johnny Richards' most classic dates and is long overdue to be reissued on CD.

Walk Softly, Run Wild!, 1959 (lp 1960 CORAL)- mono version cover;
stereo version is included on cd

#12 & 16: Burt Collins, Jerry Kail, John Bello, Ray Copeland (tp); Billy Byers, Jimmy Cleveland, Jim Dahl (tb); Jay McAllister (tuba); Joe Singer (fh); Gene Quill (as); Frank Socolow (ts); Bill Slapin (bs,fl,piccolo); Shelly Gold (bas); John Kapp (p); Chet Amsterdam (b); Ed Shaughnessy (d); Warren Smith (perc).
Recorded in NYC, May 12, 1959.

#9 & 11: same above, but Ted Sommer (perc) replaces Warren Smith.
Recorded in NYC, May 14, 1959.

#10,14,17: Clyde Reasinger (tp), Julius Watkins (fh) and Dave Schildkraut (as) replace John Bello, Joe Singer and Gene Quill.
Recorded in NYC, May 19, 1959.

#13,15,18: same above. Recorded in NYC, June 9, 1959.