Bud Shank Plays Music From Today's Movies

Bud Shank Plays Music From Today's Movies

Bud Shank Plays Music From Today's Movies
Arranged and Conducted by Bob Florence

Producer: Richard Bock

Engineer: Lanky Linstrot

Art Direction: Woody Woodward

Cover Design & Photography: Ken Kim
World Pacific/Liberty Records WP-18864
1967

From the back cover: Bud Shank is a movie fan. And movie-makers are equally-enthusiastic followers of musician Bud Shank. This professional romance was destined to lead to this great, first album of movie tunes. Composers of Hollywood's film scores have chosen Shank regularly to enrich their music by playing with the sound track film groups. Now, he returns the honors. He is probably closer to this music than almost anyone – except the composer himself. Some of the films chosen in which he played on the movie sound track include "Luv" a first film score for Gerry Mulligan, which Bud claims "is a masterpiece." Others are "Hotel," composed by John Keating, and Lalo Schifrin's "Venetian Affair" and "Murderers' Row." "I'm happy movie producers have started to use younger composers," Bud readily admits, "men like Gerry, Lalo, and Quincy Jones, Oliver Nelson, Burt Bacharach and Jerry Goldsmith. They create fresh music with the fresh movies. They give us new sounds and new textures." Bud adds his sounds and textures to their music in this completely fresh album. Shank, by the way, has also written a few film scores, two for surfing documentaries, and a feature, "War Hunt." Recently he wrote the music for a United States Information Agency film, "Pursuit Of Peace." However, for the present, Shank says he'll stick to playing. He modestly claims, "There are too many good writers."

The choice of numbers for this album was not easy, Bud admits. "For the most part they are recent pictures. But I insisted on Michel LeGrand's 'Watch What Happens" from 'Umbrellas Of Cherbourg.' When I saw that film I fell in love with that music, I once wanted to make an entire album of it." (In his Michelle" album, World Pacific WPS-21840/WP-1840, Shank includes the "Love Theme" from the film.) He also points out that music in this album is not confined to Hollywood movies alone. "We tried to pick the 'in' pictures. We chose the music as good tunes from good films – and it wasn't easy. We started with a stack of about 50 numbers." Does music help a movie or does a movie help the music? This question is almost as difficult to answer as, "What is more important – the lyrics or the music?" Some film composers claim music shouldn't be noticed in the movie-saying it might detract. We disagree. One fact no one will argue is that Bud Shank's interpretation of these film tunes adds lustre to both the music and the movies. This is an album of music for seeing.

For this musical movie, Bud Shank has surrounded himself with musicians who are also no strangers to the studios' sound recording stages. They are also no strangers to recording sessions with Bud, for they have starred in many of his previous record productions. For this album, Shank has limited himself to playing alto sax; Bob Florence, who arranged and conducted the earlier "Michelle" and "California Dreamin'" albums, returns for similar duty here, plus fancy pianistics. Other members are: Victor Feldman on vibraphone and percussion, Mike Melvoin on organ and harpsichord (electric and otherwise), Frank Capp, drums, Dennis Budimir and Herb Ellis on guitars, Ray Brown on bass and Jimmy Zito on flugelhorn.

No matter what your tastes in music or movies, Bud runs thru all the moods and emotions. For an exciting start, there's the rhythms of a chase from "Warning Shot." Then, a switch to the richness of "Georgy Girl" which features Jimmy Zito on the flugelhorn. A mellow mood for any day is "Any Wednesday" as played by this Shank group. And a haunting "Two Weeks In September" is created by Mike Melvoin on the harpsichord and again Zito's flugelhorn. In "Venice After Dark," the exotic guitars of Herb Ellis and Dennis Budimir plus the subtlety of Frank Capp on drums add to Bud's lilting sax. His love for sounds of the Orient, heard in earlier albums, also makes a welcome return in "Venice." For the real swingin' set are "Murderers' Row" and "Hurry Sundown." Shank and Zito team up for a wild run in "Row," one of the few ad lib doings in this album, while "Sundown" features Frank Capp on drums. Shank's pure love for the music is evident throughout the album, but perhaps most eloquently, and appropriately, in "Love Is Stronger Than We" from "A Man And A Woman." And Bud's admiration for Gerry Mulligan's genius, in his first film score, is reflected in "Luv." Sounds of the lush "big band" era are captured by this comparatively small group in "This Year" (from "Hotel"). And the mystery of China, via "Sand Pebbles" is translated by Shank's sax in "And We Were Lovers," with Mike Melvoin adding a hypnotic electric harpsichord and organ.

Here indeed is an international tour of movie and music tastes and moods. Bud Shank molded them into an album which will be, hopefully, the beginning of an annual contribution-from him, back to the movie composers and to us moviegoers. Meanwhile, there is more movie music from Shank available in his "Girl In Love" album (WPS-21853/WP-1853), via "Lara's Theme" from "Dr. Zhivago," and "The Shining Sea," from "The Russians Are Coming." And, as previously mentioned, the "Love Theme" from "Umbrellas Of Cherbourg" in his "Michelle" album. "I'm a movie fan," Shank smiled. His love for movies-and their music is obvious by this album. We hope the next one will include movie music composed by – Bud Shank.  Notes by Army Archerd

Theme From "Warning Shot"
Georgy Girl
Any Wednesday
Watch What Happens
Two Weeks In September
Venice After Dark
The Pin
Love Is Stronger Than We
Luv
Theme From "The Sand Pebbles"
This Year
Hurry Sundown