Doug Richards is an exceptional composer and arranger who deserves much wider recognition. To many people who know him, he's nearly a living legend. Despite his impressive resume, IT'S ALL IN THE GAME is his first release under his own name. The project demonstrates his talent for writing for large jazz ensembles and his artful ability to transform the old and familiar into something new and exciting. IT'S ALL IN THE GAME is a big band CD featuring the Great American Music Ensemble (GAME), made up of some of the top musicians in the mid-Atlantic area, with notable contributions by guest artists Rene Marie, Jon Faddis, and the late Joe Kennedy, Jr.
Doug Richards: Director-Arranger Marty Nau: lead alto saxophone, soprano saxophone, clarinet Jim Nesbit: alto saxophone, soprano saxophone, baritone saxophone, basset horn,
bass clarinet, bassoon, contra bassoon Skip Gailes: tenor saxophone, soprano saxophone, alto saxophone, flute,
bass clarinet John Winn: tenor saxophone, soprano saxophone, alto saxophone, clarinet,
bass clarinet Rob Holmes: baritone saxophone, alto saxophone, flute, bass clarinet Roy Muth: lead trumpet, flugelhorn Bob Ransom: trumpet, flugelhorn John D'earth: trumpet, flugelhorn Rob DeDominick: trumpet, flugelhorn Jim McFalls: lead trombone Dean Englert: trombone, euphonium Lee Gause: bass trombone Weldon Hill: piano, electric piano Victor Dvoskin: bass Howard Curtis: drums, percussion Special Guests: vocalist Rene Marie
trumpeter Jon Faddis
violinist Joe Kennedy, Jr.
Artist(s)/Title:
Great American Music Ensemble: It's All in The Game
The long overdue masterwork from composer/arranger Doug Richards, whom the great jazz critic Martin Williams called "the most original voice in big band since Gil Evans."
The former Kennedy Center "house band"- one of the finest jazz ensembles in the country- augmented by Jon Faddis, the late Joe Kennedy, Jr. and Grammy-nominated vocalist Rene Marie.
Fresh, entertaining, idea-packed big band music that invites, rewards (and perhaps demands) multiple listenings.
