• Soul'd Out •

Emil Richards & The Microtonal Blues Band - Journey to Bliss

A fantastic bit of "Eastern" tinged jazz, and a real musical Journey To Bliss on its own. Vibist Emil Richards really outdoes himself here, working in an exotic mode that features lots of weird percussion over choppy modal grooves from keyboards, guitar, and drums...all in a wild blend of rhythms and grooves played by Richards and his Microtonal Blues Band.

Richards started playing the xylephone at age six. In the 1950s and 1960s he played various percussion instruments with jazz ensembles first in New York and then in Los Angeles, where he settled permanently in1959 . He became known as one of the most desirable percussionists in jazz, rock and other popular music and was called on to play in countless movie and television soundtracks.

Richards soon became a "first call" percussionist for the Hollywood film industry, and has played for hundreds of films. He has played for many groups, including The Doors, George Harrison, and Frank Sinatra.

Players on Journey to Bliss include Tom Tedesco and Dennis Budimir on guitar, Dave MacKay on keyboards, and Joe Porcaro on drums. All players handle a variety of instruments, as does Richards, who must play dozens of different percussion elements on the set. Features some great short groovers and groovy pop-Eastern sound.

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