Round Midnight [LIVE] [ORIGINAL RECORDING REISSUED] [SOUNDTRACK]

Herbie Hancock (Composer)

Product Details

• Composer: Herbie Hancock
• Audio CD (April 16, 2002)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Live, Original recording reissued, Soundtrack
• Label: Sony
• ASIN: B0000658N8
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #91,634 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
Soundtrack buffs may know that this score to director Bertrand Tavernier's alluring jazz period piece inexplicably won the 1986 Oscar for best soundtrack instead of Morricone and his rich, enduring music for The Mission. That injustice aside, it remains a worthy collage of vintage jazz standards, new material, and contemporary performers, as filtered through the spirit of the story's main character (an amalgam of Bud Powell and Lester Young) and the '50s Paris jazz scene. It's also a tribute to Round Midnight musical director Herbie Hancock, with his crucial understanding that jazz--and especially bebop--can never stand on tradition, lest it lose its very reason for being. Thus he lets then-newcomer Bobby McFerrin loose on Monk's moody title track, gives vet Chet Baker's horn and voice a warm turn in the spotlight on "Fair Weather," and allows Lonette McKee and star Dexter Gordon to infuse Gershwin's "How Long Has This Been Going On" with some languorous, subtly sexual heat. Other highlights include a romp through Monk's "Rhythm-a-Ning," Hancock's tense, modernist "Berangere's Nightmare," and the spare, enchanting duet with Bobby Hutcherson, "Minuit aux Champs-Elysees." Remarkably, most of the film's music was recorded live on the set, giving it a compelling warmth and immediacy that's increasingly rare. This new edition features expanded liner notes as well as a bonus cut of the title track performed by Dexter Gordon's quintet live at the Village Vanguard in 1967. --Jerry McCulley

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Jazz Classic!, December 15, 2002

By	Russell Edward Button (Alameda, CA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This is an alblum littered with some of the best jazz
players on the planet. Many of them are dead now mind
you, so you might want to get out and listen to some
of the great live ones while they're still with us.

I think that for an alblum to get a 5 star rating, there
has to be at least one track which is unforgettable. A
lot of folks like "Chan's Song", which has become a jazz
standard. But for my money, I'm wild about Lonettee McKee's
rendition of "How Long Has This Been Going On?" Wow! It's
a shame she didn't give up the big money of being a Hollywood
star for the life of an unappreciated jazz musician because
she's got the heart for it, not to mention the pipes. This
is one of those renditions that tells you a story you actually
can believe instead of just being a pretty voice.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great soundtrack., March 27, 2005

By	David Bonesteel (Fresno, CA United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This soundtrack is an attempt by Herbie Hancock and his line-up of excellent jazz performers to evoke the jazz scene of Paris in the 50s. I have no way to judge how successful they were since I wasn't conceived until '63 and have never been to France, but I can and will testify that they have produced an enduring recording that I have never tired of in the many years that I have been listening to it. Bobby McFerrin demonstrates that he is much more than "Don't Worry Be Happy" as he does an amazing job of evoking a horn with his voice on the title track. "Chan's Song" and "How Long Has This Been Going On?" also leap to mind, but there really isn't a single clinker in the bunch.

5.0 out of 5 stars A Must Have for the Jazz Afficianado, October 24, 2008

By	R.D. "5th Warder" (L.A.) - See all my reviews

This review is from: 'Round Midnight - Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (MP3 Download)

I own this one on vinyl and I had the privilege of seeing the movie when it came out. I finally broke down and bought the MP3 version for my iPhone and iPod. Both the movie and the soundtrack rate 5 stars. It's one of the few successful jazz movies of all time and a great sound track with some of the greatest jazz musicians jamming.