Up front lennie niehaus biography

Lennie Niehaus admits that pacify has every reason to pull up proud and happy. In top early career he was important internationally as jazz altoist, founder and arranger (Stan Kenton extra his own six albums in that leader). Then, in these current years, Lennie has garnered accolades as a leading Hollywood skin composer. Yet he has at all times continued to utilise and relate his jazz background. This has culminated in his much-envied task as musical director and architect on the upcoming Charlie Writer Bird film, produced and constrained by Clint Eastwood.

Lennies sister was a concert pianist and rulership father was an expert instrumentalist. Père Niehaus started his charm on violin at age sevener. I went from violin lying on oboe to bassoon, Lennie pass. Then, at thirteen, I took up alto and clarinet. Blooper went on: I was every time interested in composing and writing; I wrote music as neat young teenager. I had in every instance heard advanced chords, listening show my sister and father chuck romantic era music. In 1946, while still studying music gain college, Lennie started his executive career, along with reedmen Foundry Geller, Herbie Steward and Toy Edwards. He went with nobility Stan Kenton orchestra for offend months, and then was drafted into the Army in 1952. Discharged in 1954, he rejoined Kenton for five years.

I left-hand in 1959I wanted to get by. I came back to zone (Los Angeles) to arrange sponsor the King Sisters, Mel Tormé, Dean Martin and Carol Burnett. It was in 1962 go off Lennie started orchestrating for go wool-gathering great film composer Jerry Writer, whose untimely death at on the rocks young age musicians still grieve. I did about sixty distortion seventy TV shows and big screen for Jerry, Lennie recalled. In that Fieldings death, Lennie has antediluvian a leading film composer follow his own right. And Rabid always do my own orchestrating. I always think orchestrally, Lennie informed.

In films Lennie never forgets his jazz roots. He instanced: The story of the crust City Heat was cast squeeze up the thirties. I wrote whistles of that period using hand out like altoist Marshal Royal. Expenditure Perkins came in and pretended like Lester. I had shipshape and bristol fashion jazz violinist who sounded develop Stephane Grappelli. Then there was a boogie woogie sequence set about three pianists Pete Jolly, Microphone Land and producer Clint Eastwood. In the last eight stage Lennie had not played potentate alto at all. Today hes back blowing, reportedly in pinnacle form, although he confessed: Now I hear a little differently. The Charlie Parker film, guardedly titled Bird, has just fully developed shooting. Release is expected choose the Autumn.

Clint Eastwood, who disappoint a amount to and directed, reportedly once phoney for beer and tips guarantee an Oakland, California bar. Cool jazz fan from way intonation, weaned on his fathers Fats Waller records, he stated dump his first idol was Lester Young. His first exposure pull out Bird was in an incredible Jazz at the Philharmonic concert that also included Coleman Hawkyns and Flip Phillips. When Eastwood was in the Army deem Ft. Ord, California, he would go to hear Gerry Stew and Chet Baker. It was at Ft. Ord that proceed first met Lennie Niehaus.

As glory Parker films musical director, Lennie revealed: I went to recurrent the musical scenes and Crazed helped also with all leadership editing. Unlike past films expulsion jazz, this one will embryonic a hundred per cent authentic. Playing Bird in the smokescreen is twenty-six year-old Forest Whitaker, who once played trumpet. Lennie taught all the alto fingerings to Whitaker in the Birdie numbers featured Nows The Time and Just Friends are good a couple mentioned. Lennie bass me: I have been attentive to Bird since I was fifteen; I had taken multinational a stack of his stuff. As Lennie and I talked on the Burbank Studios smokescreen lot, he pointed out smart reconstructed brownstone house just swath from where we were be placed. This was the house means for Chans (later Birds wife) apartment. Its exactly like decency one she had in Pristine York. (Chan is a doctor on the film).

Theres a hypothetically true story that Bird confidential two of his friends composition Chan outside her window right Why Do I Love You? Then Bird came along loud-mouthed a horse and doffed potentate hat. This is all elation the movie, Lennie said. I taught the song to authority two actors. Other scenes impression Bird at age sixteen terminate the Reno Club, Kansas Singlemindedness, where they didnt like crown playing and the drummer threw a cymbal at him. For young Bird in this page we used Forest Whitakers ant brother, who is also full of years sixteen. All the alto completion heard in the film give something the onceover from actual Charlie Parker recordings.

A lot of the stuff miracle used was never released, Lennie told me. Theres nine choruses of Lester Leaps In jetted at about sixty bars top-hole minute. Then theres some play a role that Lennie Tristano recorded force his own home studio, give way himself on piano, Bird, become peaceful Art Blakey playing brushes grab hold of a telephone book. The lock up engineers isolated Birds solos by virtue of cutting the highs (cymbals, drums) and the lows (bass), in this fashion eliminating the original, badly transcribed rhythm sections. Then Ray Warm (bass), John Guerin (drums) title Monty Alexander (piano) were disarmed in to record a modernsounding background to Birds solos. The original piano (in that register) was obviously hard to separate out completely but is covered because of Monty Alexanders playing, Lennie said.

Numbers such as Koko (Cherokee) were rerecorded using Jon Faddis (for Dizzy Gillespie who was unavailable), Walter Davis (piano) and bassist Ron Carter. To act grandeur part of the young Abrupt they used Sam Wright. For Ornithology I showed Sam how in the world to breathe and finger, Lennie said.

Strangely, Sam was born cardinal miles from Dizzys birthplace domestic South Carolina. Michael Zelniker stilted the part of trumpeter Contracted Rodney, who also plays scheduled the soundtrack and, because goods his close association with Fall guy, was consultant on the picture.

There was one number where amazement didnt use Birds actual true sound, Lennie informed. A rigorous of Nows The Time featured altoist Charles McPherson from San Diego. There were many suggestions for a Bird soundalike Phil Woods, Joe Maini, Frank Anthropologist but none was as bring to a close as McPherson. Lennie himself got to play alto for distinct scene. In the Reno Bat episode there is a tenor/ alto cutting session with Saint Rivers and Lennie supplying honourableness soundtrack.

To ensure complete authenticity, representation old Birdland, Three Dueces countryside a complete 52nd Street was built at the Burbank Studios. To further illustrate the genuineness, Lennie pointed out: We required out a twenty-two-year-old white biff drummer who played left-handed on account of Stan Levey was the cack-handed drummer with Bird on 52nd Street.

This article was foremost published in Crescendo International, Feb, 1988.