Biography
British arranger and conductor John Gregory, a leading figure in easy listening, chiefly recorded under the alias Chaquito. London-born on October 12, 1928, he was the son of bandleader Frank Gregori, whose dance combo held a regular spot at the city’s fashionable Italian restaurant Quaglino’s. Following a short period playing violin in his father’s ensemble, Gregory struck out independently by the late ’40s and soon secured a long-term post as staff arranger at Philips Records. There he remained for twenty years, supporting vocalists from Cleo Laine to Nana Mouskouri before Philips granted him his first sessions as leader in 1960. Released under the Cascading Strings name, the resulting albums answered the easy-listening LPs of the 101 Strings Orchestra and the Living Strings yet stood out for their superior quality, above all the 1963 cult favorite Melodies of Japan, a striking reinterpretation of traditional Far Eastern folk themes. Capitalizing on the popularity of Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass, Philips next positioned Gregory as Chaquito, and throughout the ensuing decade he delivered a run of vigorous, Latin-inflected albums—The Great Chaquito Revolution, Latin Colours, and Spies and Dolls—supported by such session standouts as Don Lusher, Denis Lopez, and Dave Richmond. Only in the mid-’70s did he begin issuing material regularly under his own name, yielding a few unexpectedly funky collections that included A Man for All Seasons and The Detectives.
Albums
