Search - Lennie Niehaus :: Bird: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack

An excellent jazz collection.

Chadwick H. Saxelid | Concord, CA United States | 09/06/2000

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This collection of digitally remastered Parker recordings showcases the brilliance of Bird and the wonders of current technology. The solos were lifted from other sources and placed into new arrangements, allowing for all new "unheard" Parker music to be in the film. Purists might complain that the solos sometimes do not match the back up music very well, but those who enjoy great jazz that is well presented will be quite pleased. Recommended for jazz fans and the jazz curious."

Great remastered/remixed Bird--but beware

Chadwick H. Saxelid | 08/26/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The CD release, strangely, does not include tracks that were on the original LP, including wonderful renditions of "Laura" and "Parker's Mood". Look for the LP!!"

Yardbird meets Dr. Frankenstein

Nikica Gilic | Zagreb, Croatia | 12/29/2006

(3 out of 5 stars)

"This is a bizarre CD to say the least. The music is very good; late Charlie Parker is molested by some of the best new cats, with additional contributions by Rodney and Brown who actually played with him back in the old days.

However, if you know Parker's music from before, this remastering will leave you somewhat unsatisfied, with a strange feeling in stomach...



As for this CD being a soundtrack, I must say I'm a bit disappointed because it excludes some of the most spirited (if not musically most sophisticated) moments from Eastwood's fine film - for instance Parker's and Rodney's Bar Mitzvah perfomance, or Rodney's feeble attempts to sing the blues (being presented as Albino in the South, where racial mixing was still not looked upon sympathetically...).



Well, if you are new to Parker's music, this might be an OK place to start but otherwise this is moderately intersting at best. And, ofcourse, Dr. Frankenstein from the title is Lennie Niehaus, a fine jazz musician and arranger, a fine composer of film music (Eastwood's favorite musical associate) who, however, went over the top with this digital extravaganza (at lest marginally reminiscent of that fortunatelly all but forgotten Ted-Turner-sponsored fad of digitally colouring black and white movies... Have you seen what they did to "The Maltese Falcon?")

"