Soundtracks — CDs  

Two rare soundtracks from the quirky Bruno Spoerri – both of them a very cool blend of jazzy reeds and lots of electric touches! Teddy Bear is from the early 80s, and is one of the later records we've heard from Spoerri – a set that definitely bears the pedigree of its time, through cool use of Lyricon, Prophet, and Emulator keyboards! Bruno often blows his sax into the keys, then processes the reedlines in a very cool way – with a style that's more soulful than usual keyboard styles of the time, given the acoustic roots of the sounds – yet which still has a great 80s vibe overall. Things are almost in the offbeat style of some of the instrumentals from the German AtaTak scene of the time – and titles include "Too Much Smell", "The Silliest Song", "Reanimation Of A Filmmaker", "Small Talk", "The Arrest Of Groucho", and "Baby Baby". Lilith is from a few years before, and has a more conventional 70s approach – great electric piano lines over tight rhythms, with Bruno handling both tenor and Lyricon – on tunes that mix sound library funk with some of the weirder, more offbeat sounds you might know from other Spoerri soundtracks. Titles include "Singing In The Dark", "Winding Down", "The Dance", "Prepare For The Show", "Train", "Going To Work", and "Fanfare".

A pair of obscure soundtracks, both with a western theme – fitting together surprisingly well on a single CD! Hud is one of Paul Newman's finest early moments on screen – scored beautifully here by Elmer Bernstein, who shows a surprisingly deft ear for guitar lines – spun out in ways that are almost more folksy than the usual soundtrack of this type, and a real change from some of the jazzier, more dramatic Bernstein work of the late 50s. The CD features both film tracks that are mostly guitar, and alternates for a chamber orchestra – plus a few bonus tracks by other artists too. Titles include "Flower Bed", "Quarantine Sign", "Lonely Corrals", "Bonaparte's Retreat", and "Prelude". Next is Nathan Van Cleve's score for The Lonely Man – an obscure Anthony Perkins western, with a sweet title track sung by Tennessee Ernie Ford! The instrumental numbers carry the spirit of the theme nicely – a warm, slightly romanticized Hollywood version of the west – often using acoustic guitar and harmonica alongside more conventional orchestrations. Titles include "Losing The Stallion", "The Trek", "The Prodigal Father", "The Deserted Bonanza", and "Death At The Bonanza".

An unreleased treasure from the European scene of the late 50s – material recorded for a soundtrack, and a rare meeting of American trumpeter Donald Byrd and French tenor giant Barney Wilen! Neither the film nor the music were ever issued at the time – and this archival project finally brings together the sublime sounds in the studio from Byrd and Wilen – music that's easily every bit as great as the best French jazz scores of the time, as well as most other European hardbop records too! The group features talents from both sides of the Atlantic – Jimmy Gourley on guitar, Walter Davis on piano, Doug Watkins on bass, and Al Levitt on drums – and the style is a bit tighter than usual for a jazz soundtrack – with long tracks that have a more conventional jazz tune shape, instead of shorter atmospheric numbers. Wilen gets plenty of room to stretch out in expressive tones – as on his soundtrack work with Miles Davis from the same time – and hearing Byrd's trumpet alongside makes for a really nice contrast!