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Posted: |
Apr 24, 2014 - 12:31 AM
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By: |
Dana Wilcox
(Member)
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Would you say the two composers have somewhat similar styles in film scoring and could say Jerry Fielding also be in their group? Somewhat of a jazzy off beat style they all have. And they all share a sort of place in the fact that they've scored so many movies and their recognition was not that of a John Williams or Goldsmith etc. But so much wonderful stuff from them! And it wouldn't be a far stretch to include Dave Grusin in the mix. All strong jazz backgrounds and
All truly great Maestros!
What are your favorite Shire, Small, Fielding and Grusin scores?
Stylistically these composers seem fairly distinct to me, Small tending toward edgier material, Shire more lyrical (though of course there are examples in each composer's work to the contrary). I don't see any connection between either of these two and Jerry Fielding, whose scores are typically complex, multilayered and heavy with the percussion. (Yes, he did some jazz for Eastwood, but I mostly think of THE MECHANIC or THE WILD BUNCH or SCORPIO when I think of Fielding.) Grusin likes to fold in light jazz-like themes where appropriate but can be very lyrical as well (ON GOLDEN POND and THE HEART IS A LONELY HUNTER for example). What they have most in common as far as I can see are their great talent and versatility, and their lack of recognition outside of the fan base.
Favorites for me:
Shire: FAREWELL MY LOVELY, RETURN TO OZ, LAST STAND AT SABER RIVER, NORMA RAE
Small: KLUTE, COMES A HORSEMAN, THE POSTMAN ALWAYS RINGS TWICE, AUDREY ROSE
Fielding: ADVISE AND CONSENT, THE WILD BUNCH, THE OUTLAW JOSEY WALES, LAWMAN, SCORPIO
Grusin: ON GOLDEN POND, THE HEART IS A LONELY HUNTER, ABSENCE OF MALICE
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Posted: |
Apr 24, 2014 - 12:00 PM
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By: |
Dana Wilcox
(Member)
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I don't see any connection between either of these two and Jerry Fielding, whose scores are typically complex, multilayered and heavy with the percussion. (Yes, he did some jazz for Eastwood, but I mostly think of THE MECHANIC or THE WILD BUNCH or SCORPIO when I think of Fielding.)
My first thought when Jerry comes to mind is exactly those Eastwood films - The Enforcer and The Gauntlet. Then Outlaw Josey Wales and the main title from The Lawman, one of the best ever.
I haven't yet caught on to David Shire or Michael Small in a significant way, although I generally enjoy them when I hear their scores, but I'm very keen on Grusin's Yakuza and Three Days of the Condor. I think there is a lot of overlap in their styles but I'm not enough of a student of any of them to home in on whether there's any truth in this or it's just aural laziness on my part.
TG
Not disagreeing at all, TG. For Fielding (and most quality composers actually), the story of the elephant and the eight blind men comes to mind... The films and scores one connects with most tend to form your vision of the composer's work. I loved the film and score for THE ENFORCER, a more "organized" jazz score if you will (in the sense of tying in functionally with the visuals), but couldn't bear either film or score for THE GAUNTLET, thus my tendency to dismiss or minimize his work as a "free form" jazz composer. I thought the music in THE GAUNTLET was some kind of experiment on Eastwood's part to see if unfettered jazz would work as an integral part of the story-telling, and although Eastwood was obviously satisfied with the result, I thought it was a disaster as a film score and a screeching affront to the ear drums in any and every respect. (Though in this sense it might be argued that it fit the film perfectly!)  I don't think Fielding did anything else quite like that one, but I could be wrong there. I am more familiar with his dissonant and/or heavily percussive and/or more melodic scores, and see his musical style for THE ENFORCER as more an outgrowth of his experience as an arranger for vocalists of the post-"big band" era, before his blacklisting and subsequent resurrection by Otto Preminger as composer for ADVISE AND CONSENT (a genius move on Preminger's part, IMO). That's just how I see Fielding. Others may feel otherwise, of course...
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