GREAT AMERICAN MUSIC ENSEMBLE

Doug Richards is one of the most respected composers/arrangers you've never heard of, so much so that a tribute CD, Bugles Over Zagreb: The Music of Doug Richards by Rex Richardson, came out in 2014, before Richards himself ever recorded under his own name. Richards put The Great American Music Ensemble (GAME) together in the mid-'80s, toured throughout the '90s, and in 2001, recorded It's All In The Game. Yet due to lack of label interest, it sat on the shelf unheard despite daring soloists like trumpeter Jon Faddis, violinist Joe Kennedy, Jr. [1923-2004] and vocalist Rene Marie. Sure, touring jazz big bands are pretty much a thing of the past. The cost for folks like Ellington, Basie, Herman, Kenton and the like far outweighed the interest thereof. So today, a smart guy like Wynton Marsalis, instead of touring with his orchestra, conducts under the auspices of Lincoln Center in Manhattan read more...