EMIL RICHARDS – STONES / JOURNEY TO BLISS / NEW TIME ELEMENT

Mindblowing music from this ultra-cool musician – nearly three albums packaged on one CD! First up is Stones – a very groovy set of tunes that we'd rank right up there with Hal Blaine's Psychedelic Percussion for sheer nuttiness! Emil Richard plays a range of percussion instruments – as on other albums from the time – vibes and lots of mallet and percussion instrument – but he's also working with a really noisy moog, handled by Paul Beaver, and some weird "22-tone-to-the-octave" instruments that give the album an other-worldly tone that we really love. The whole thing bubbles and bleeps and grooves – with plenty of jazz still in the mix, as befits Richards' roots in the LA scene of the late 50s. 12 tracks in all – all named after birthstones – with titles that include "Garnet", "Moonstone", "Emerald", "Topaz", "Opal", and "Ruby".

Next up are 6 tracks from New Time Element – one of the grooviest albums to come from the godlike hands of Emil Richards! This album's got a bit more punch than some of Richard's more jazz-based sessions – with Emil playing a wide range of percussion instruments, plus vibes and marimba – all backed by some incredibly groovy work on organ and piano by Dave McKay! Arrangements are by Tom Scott and Paul Beaver – and the record's got the jaunty, swinging quality of some of Scott's best early work of the time – particularly his early gems for Impulse! Titles include a great version of Tom Scott's oft-recorded "Blues for Hari", a very groovy number with a great 60s eastern feel – plus "Hot Fudge Sundae", "Happy Together", "Jimmy", and "Georgy Girl".

And last but not least are 8 tracks that comprise Journey To Bliss – a fantastic bit of "Eastern" tinged jazz – and a real musical Journey To Bliss on its own! Vibist Emil Richards has always been totally groovy in our book – but he 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. Players include Tom Tedesco and Dennis Budimir on guitar, Dave MacKay on keyboards, and Joe Porcaro on drums – but all players handle a variety of instruments, as does Richards, who must play dozens of different percussion elements on the set! Side one of the album features some great short groovers – like "Maharimba", "Bliss", "Mantra", and "Enjoy Enjoy" – all of which are in a tripped-out LA guru hippy mode that's simply wonderful! Side two features the extended "Journey To Bliss" suite, which has some spoken bits and a much wilder sound – but also the same sort of groovy pop-Eastern sound as side one! ~ Dusty Groove