Johnny Richards
Encyclopedia
Johnny Richards was a jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...

 arranger
Arranger
In investment banking, an arranger is a provider of funds in the syndication of a debt. They are entitled to syndicate the loan or bond issue, and may be referred to as the "lead underwriter". This is because this entity bears the risk of being able to sell the underlying securities/debt or the...

 and composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...

 in the mid-20th century United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

. He was a pivotal arranger for some of the more adventurous, boisterous Stan Kenton
Stan Kenton
Stanley Newcomb "Stan" Kenton was a pianist, composer, and arranger who led a highly innovative, influential, and often controversial American jazz orchestra. In later years he was widely active as an educator....

 big band
Big band
A big band is a type of musical ensemble associated with jazz and the Swing Era typically consisting of rhythm, brass, and woodwind instruments totaling approximately twelve to twenty-five musicians...

 performances on recordings in the 1950s: the Cuban Fire!
Cuban Fire!
Cuban Fire! is an album recorded by Stan Kenton and his orchestra in 1956. This has become one of the most influential Latin jazz, large ensemble recordings of all time; it was a first for the Kenton big band in terms of popularity, style, and overall album theme...

 suite being the most know of those compositions.

Biography

Richards was born in Toluca, Mexico, as Juan Manuel Cascales, to a Spanish father (Juan Cascales y Valero) and a Mexican mother (Maria Celia Arrue AKA Marie Cascales), whose parents were Spanish immigrants to Mexico. He entered the United States at Laredo, Texas
Laredo, Texas
Laredo is the county seat of Webb County, Texas, United States, located on the north bank of the Rio Grande in South Texas, across from Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas, Mexico. According to the 2010 census, the city population was 236,091 making it the 3rd largest on the United States-Mexican border,...

, along with his mother, three brothers (also professional musicians) and sister: Jose Luis Cascales (Joe), Carlos Guillermo Cascales (known in the music world as Chuck Cabot), Maria de los Angeles Cascales (Angeles/Anne Beaufait), and Juan Adolfo Cascales (Jack) on August 4, 1919 (reference: U. S. Department of Labor, Immigration Service, Laredo, Texas, receipt #106831/14989 and United States of America Declaration of Intention #11261, certification No. 23 103364, dated November 21, 1941, Los Angeles, California. Copies of these documents are owned by Richards' niece, daughter of his brother Chuck, and are also part of public record).

Richards' father, Juan Cascales y Valero, came earlier, crossing the border at Laredo, Texas, on June 4, 1919 (reference www.Ancestry.com Database: Border Crossings from Mexico to U. S., 1903–1957). The family lived first in Los Angeles, California, (reference: 1920 United States Federal Census, Los Angeles Assembly District 74, Los Angeles, California; roll T625_115; page 2B; Enumeration District 429, image 140) and later in San Fernando, California
San Fernando, California
San Fernando is a city located in the San Fernando Valley, in northwestern region of Los Angeles, California, United States. The population was 23,645 at the 2010 census, up from 23,564 at the 2000 census.-History:...

, where Joe, Johnny, and Chuck attended and graduated from San Fernando High School. In 1930 Richards was living in Fullerton, California
Fullerton, California
Fullerton is a city located in northern Orange County, California. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 135,161.It was founded in 1887 by George and Edward Amerige and named for George H. Fullerton, who secured the land on behalf of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway...

, and attending Fullerton College
Fullerton College
Fullerton College is the oldest community college in continuous operation in California, having been established in 1913. Current enrollment is 22,014.- History 1913 to 1972 :...

 (reference: 1930 United States Federal Census, Fullerton, Orange, California; roll 181, page 3B, Enumeration District: 33, Image 311.0).

Richards worked in Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...

, from the late 1930s to 1952. In 1952 he moved to New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...

 and became the head arranger for Stan Kenton
Stan Kenton
Stanley Newcomb "Stan" Kenton was a pianist, composer, and arranger who led a highly innovative, influential, and often controversial American jazz orchestra. In later years he was widely active as an educator....

. He also led his own bands in this period. In addition, he wrote the music for the popular song Young at Heart (1953), made famous by Frank Sinatra
Frank Sinatra
Francis Albert "Frank" Sinatra was an American singer and actor.Beginning his musical career in the swing era with Harry James and Tommy Dorsey, Sinatra became an unprecedentedly successful solo artist in the early to mid-1940s, after being signed to Columbia Records in 1943. Being the idol of the...

 and others.

Richards died October 7, 1968, in New York, New York, of a brain tumor . Reviewers have deemed his style as being influenced by Duke Ellington
Duke Ellington
Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington was an American composer, pianist, and big band leader. Ellington wrote over 1,000 compositions...

 and Pete Rugolo
Pete Rugolo
Pietro "Pete" Rugolo was an Italian-born jazz composer and arranger.-Life and career:Rugolo was born in San Piero Patti, Sicily, Italy. His family emigrated to the United States in 1920 and settled in Santa Rosa, California...

 .

Selected discography

  • Under Charlie Barnet
    Charlie Barnet
    Charles Daly Barnet was an American jazz saxophonist, composer, and bandleader.His major recordings were "Skyliner", "Cherokee", "The Wrong Idea", "Scotch and Soda", "In a Mizz", and "Southland Shuffle".-Early life:...

    :
    • The Capitol Big Band Sessions (Capitol, 1948–1950)
  • Under Stan Kenton:
    • Cuban Fire (Capitol, 1956)
    • Back to Balboa (Capitol, 1958)
    • West Side Story (Capitol, 1961)
    • Adventures in Time (A Concerto for Orchestra)(Capitol, 1963)

  • As a leader
    • Something Wild, Something Else (Fresh Sounds, 1956 and 1959)
    • Mosaic Select (Mosaic, 2005) compilation

External links

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