varesesarabande.com
In the 1930s and ‘40s, movies usually drew their music from 19th century classical sources. In the 1950s, Hollywood composers turned to jazz. With film scores for The Man With the Golden Arm (1954), The Sweet Smell of Success (1957) and Walk on the Wild Side (1962) to his credit, Elmer Bernstein led the way.
Little wonder that a jazz orchestra would turn to Bernstein’s repertoire for material. On the CD The Wild Side, the Big Band de Canarias under producer Robert Townson and conductor Kike Perdomo mine Bernstein’s jazz scores for gold. The orchestra sails through contemporary yet respectful arrangements, ornamenting the memorable melodies with brief, tasteful solos. Surprising to many listeners will be the more recent numbers. Bernstein lived until 2004, and executed music for Ghostbusters (1984) and Devil in a Blue Dress (1995), whose themes are included on The Wild Side.
