An old LP cover dug out from the Concertzender archives. Emil Richards & the Microtonal Blues Band with ‘Journey to bliss’.
A sound definition of the concept World Music luckily doesn’t exist and I for my part don’t think that has to be discusses. Yes of course….this LP is by the renowned jazz label Impulse and Emil Richards is also known as jazz musician, but with the African marimba, Chinese cymbals, gamelan gongs and Yugoslavian flutes on the LP it is definitely worldly music!
In 1964, when Emil had a percussion school in Los Angeles, he heard on the radio that Hari Har Rao, an Indian music teacher arrived into town to teach Indian rhythms and sitar. Hari Har Rao started giving lessons at Emil’s school with the result that all the teachers became students. Emil got fascinated by unusual rhythms, rhythms different than the usual four four time. He also learned how to divide the western 12-tone system in more refined micro tunes, according to him a much better way to express feelings in music.
The A side of the LP contains some songs that are rhythmical complex. The song ‘Enjoy Enjoy’ for example, can be counted as 32331 or 57 or 444 or 3333 or 6/8 or 3/4 or 12/8. Or like Emil Richards says: ????
The B side is the six-part piece ‘Journey to bliss’ that tries to let you hear what happens when you meditate.
This is a unique LP with a sound that has never been heard before. Definitely check it out!!
After this far out record there is some time left for multiple tracks of the CD Daktari by Shelly Manne. It is like ‘Journey to Bliss’ a record that can be called jazz as well as world music. It is the soundtrack of the same name TV series with a clearly hearable Emil Richards on percussion.
