On a windy Tuesday evening of eighteen years ago, it was the 4th of September 2007, in my hometown Cagliari, Sardinia, I found myself sharing the stage with a musical legend, percussionist Emil Richards, initially without being aware of his greatness. It was just another jazz gigs, this time with “an American guy”, and with local musicians, Alessandro Di Liberto on piano and the late Roberto Pellegrini on drums.
At the Lazzaretto for the soundcheck I met Mr. Richards, a nice and easygoing man, his large and white smile in sharp contrast with his dark skin colour. We agreed on a number of jazz standards to be performed that night. The sound of his vibraphone was sparkling and his phrasing as exciting as his positive character.
It was only when having dinner in a nearby pizzeria that I started having hints of the majestic career Mr. Richards had. Anecdotes and stories from countless recording sessions were mentioned, with names that made me feel dizzy, both in the jazz and pop/rock world: Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, Elvis Presley, Peggy Lee, Sammy Davis Jr., Count Basie, Quincy Jones, Judy Garland, Charles Mingus, Gerry Mulligan, Stan Kenton, Nat King Cole, George Duke, Shorty Rogers, Harry Partch, George Shearing, The Manhattan Transfer, The Beach Boys, Paul Anka, Blondie, Michael Bublé, Donovan, The Doors, Diana Krall, Carly Simon, Carmen McRae, Sérgio Mendes, Liza Minnelli, Ravi Shankar, Phil Spector and the list goes on. I was totally unaware of who I was having dinner with.
As a massive Beatles fan, I was in awe when Mr. Richards mentioned his collaboration with George Harrison: he recorded on three of the ex-Beatles albums, Dark Horse (1974), Thirty Three & 1/3 (1976) and George Harrison (1979). I later discovered he also recorded on some iconic albums such as Saturday Night Fever (1977) by the Bee Gees, Let’s Get It On (1973) by Marvin Gaye, Lumpy Gravy (1968) by Frank Zappa, and one which I’m particularly fond of, Mingus (1979) by Joni Mitchell.
Today, eighteen years have passed, and I find myself recalling that night, more aware of Emil Richards’ career, having done some proper research on him. His presence as a player on nearly every single Hollywood movie soundtrack is stunning: hundreds (a list HERE), from 1959’s The Diary of Anne Frank, going through Mary Poppins, Doctor Zhivago, Planet of the Apes, Duel, Papillon, Jaws, Taxi driver, Saturday Night Fever, Star Trek, Poltergeist, Indiana Jones, Gremlins, Karate Kids, Ghostbusters, Dune, Lethal Weapon, Die Hard, Home Alone, Edward Scissorhands, Robin Hood, Batman returns, Jurassic Park, Mrs. Doubtfire, Toy Story, Mission Impossible, Men in black, Spider-man, Pirates of the Caribbean, Kun Fu Panda, Inside Out, up to his last appearance on 2018’s Incredibles 2. And this is only a short selection, playing music by the most important film music composers: Max Steiner, Jerry Goldsmith, Hans Zimmer, Henry Mancini, Lalo Schifrin, John Williams, Elmer Bernstein, Danny Elfman, James Newton Howard. Most importantly, his creative input in some of those soundtrack was invaluable: his finger snap on The Adams (watch and listen HERE), his vibraphone work on The Simpsons (watch and listen HERE), as well as his never ending search for new sounds to supply to the composers who always asked him for advice.
Emil Richards, born Emilio Joseph Radocchia in Connecticut in 1932, of Italian ancestry, was a maniac collector of percussion instruments from all over the world. He also invented new ones, often assembling and modifying existing pieces and materials (HERE’s a video of him being creative with kitchen utensils). After he died in 2019, his collection was acquired by the L.A. Percussion rentals shop in Santa Clarita. Funny enough I was there in September 2018 to rent a double bass which I used to record my album L.A. Impressions with Los Angeles-based musicians Vinny Golia on winds and Tina Raymond on drums. I remembering entering the shop and noticing a mannequin dressed up with a traditional Sardinian costume and a traditional mask from the village of Ottana.
I felt there was a connection between that place and Sardinia, without knowing that not long after they would acquire the collection once belonged to Mr Richards. In fact Emil Richards was very fond of Sardinia. From the obituary on the local Sardinian newspaper (read HERE in Italian) I discovered he spent many summers playing vibes with an American band in a very famous local ice-scream venue on the coast to Villasimius. I used to go there a lot when I was a teenager, knowing nothing of jazz, and I now wonder whether Mr. Richards was among the many musicians I had a chance to see and listen to.
I wish I was more curious, aware and in the present, both in my teens and that night of 2007 when I had a chance to play with Emil Richards. Today I can barely remember those moments, and I can only get to know what Mr. Richards was like from reading online from those who experienced his personal and musical companionship.
Drummer Tina Raymond, who I recorded with in L.A. in 2018, tells me she did know him and had the chance to work with him a few times at club in Los Angeles called Vibrato. She says: “Even in his final years, he still kicked my butt. Fastest hands! He was very kind, and a bit sassy. His favorite reply to ‘Hey Mr. Richards’ was ‘Hey yourself.’
And Emil’s daughter says: “My dad had a saying, ‘As in music, as in life.’ He lived and loved as he played: fully, deeply, with endless creativity, humor, discipline and spirituality. He never missed a beat. As Emil would say, ‘Good Vibes!’”
What I do remember of that 2007 night though is that there were definitely good vibes, thank you Mr. Richards!
