Jazz on Film: Biopics / Various

Film biopics go through phases - sometimes favoured by the Oscar jurors, sometimes not... The 1950s was a fertile period for them and in particular for jazz musicians, whose music influenced many... Jazz was seen as rebellious enough to be part of the score to these tributes to the greatest symbols of the era! The styles go from the beginning of jazz to west coast cool, but what every subject of the films has is desire! A desire to succeed, a desire to be the best, a desire to live in the here and now and (most of all) a desire to this on their own terms. It makes for great stories and great Hollywood movies, but most of all, it leads to wonderful film scores! A fantastic and unique release by Moochin' About compiles for the first time a collection of stunning jazz scores from classic biographical films! The films themselves trace the life stories of some of the most influential Jazz & Blues musicians in history, as well as one of the most iconic film actors: James Dean. Two versions of The James Dean Story score appear in this collection: The original Leith Stevens soundtrack, plus the critically acclaimed Capitol Records version by Johnny Mandel, featuring top flight soloists Chet Baker, Bud Shank and an array of star spangled sidemen!