The War: A Ken Burns Film (2007)

Product Summary Label: Cbs/epic/wtg Records UPC: 00886971020328 Release Date: 9/11/2007 Buy.com Sku: 205117879 Item#: M3RDNP Format:  CD Song Listing Disc 1 Song Title Sample 1. American Anthem - Norah Jones (previously unreleased) ~ Original Soundtrack 2. Death Of Falstaff From Henry V: Two Pieces For Strings, The - London Philharmonic Orchestra/Leonard Slatkin ~ Original Soundtrack 3. Wang Wang Blues, The - Benny Goodman Sextet ~ Original Soundtrack 4. Movin' Back - Wynton Marsalis (previously unreleased) ~ Original Soundtrack 5. How Long Blues - Count Basie ~ Original Soundtrack 6. In the Nick Of Time - Edgar Meyer ~ Original Soundtrack 7. It's Been a Long, Long Time - Bing Crosby/Les Paul ~ Original Soundtrack 8. America My Home - Wynton Marsalis (previously unreleased) ~ Original Soundtrack 9. If I Could Be With You (One Hour Tonight) - Kay Starr/The Capitol International Jazzmen ~ Original Soundtrack 10. Blue as the Turquoise Night of Neyshabur - Yo-Yo Ma/Silk Road Ensemble (Excerpt) ~ Original Soundtrack 11. Until I'm In Your Arms Again - Wynton Marsalis (previously unreleased) ~ Original Soundtrack 12. Variations For the Healing Of Arinushka - Kalle Randalu ~ Original Soundtrack 13. Basie Boogie - Count Basie & His Orchestra ~ Original Soundtrack 14. Solitude - Duke Ellington & His Orchestra ~ Original Soundtrack 15. Concerto For Clarinet, Strings, Harp And Piano - Aaron Copland/Columbia Symphony Orchestra/Benny Goodman/Laura Newell/Abba Bogin ~ Original Soundtrack 16. If You Can't Smile And Say Yes - The King Cole Trio ~ Original Soundtrack 17. American Anthem - Amanda Forsyth/Bill Charlap (previously unreleased) ~ Original Soundtrack (C) (P) 2007 SONY BMG MUSIC ENTERTAINMENT; 2007 Florentine Films   Album Notes and Credits Notes & Personnel Info A companion piece to Ken Burns's World War II documentary, THE WAR collection features songs by jazz/big-band luminaries of the era including Duke Ellington (the elegant "Solitude") and Count Basie (the gently swinging "Basie Boogie"). Other highlights include a new recording by renowned singer/pianist Norah Jones, who performs the film's beautiful theme, "American Anthem," and the song's closing reprisal by vocalist Amanda Forsythe and pianist Bill Charlap. The War, directed by Ken Burns, was a seven-part documentary series broadcast on PBS television in 2007, focusing on the experiences of American soldiers in World War II. Much popular music of the period was heard on the soundtrack, as was some music specifically composed and recorded for use in the film. The War: A Ken Burns Film: The Soundtrack has 17 selections from the work. It mixes compositions/performances by Wynton Marsalis; vintage recordings from the time by Count Basie, Benny Goodman, Bing Crosby, Nat King Cole, and Kay Starr; and some other material, including one track, "American Anthem," recorded by Norah Jones on piano and vocal specifically for the series (and previously unreleased prior to its appearance here). The vintage jazz-pop tracks are the ones that both give the strongest flavor for the World War II era and are the strongest musically, though the far more subdued and reflective classical pieces and works composed specially for the series are more in keeping with the sober mood of the war itself. This CD was also used as the first disc in a four-CD box set with a similar title The War: A Ken Burns Film: Deluxe Edition. That box set gives a much fuller sonic picture of the era and reflection of the moods the filmmaker wished to project via the addition of 40 jazz, pop, and swing recordings from the period and ten classical pieces, as well as a booklet explaining the conception and intention of the documentary series. The box is thus more heavily recommended for both music fans and those wanting a more substantial souvenir of the documentary, though it's naturally much more expensive than this single-disc compilation of pieces from the soundtrack. ~ Richie Unterberger The War, directed by Ken Burns, was a seven-part documentary series broadcast on PBS television in 2007, focusing on the experiences of American soldiers in World War II. Much popular music of the period was heard on the soundtrack, as was some music specifically composed and recorded for use in the film. This four-CD set, with the full title The War: A Ken Burns Film: Deluxe Edition: Soundtrack and Music from the Second World War, devotes one disc each to a certain thematic strain. Disc one -- the only one in this package that is also available separately, as a stand-alone release -- focuses on music actually heard on the soundtrack, mixing compositions/performances by Wynton Marsalis; vintage recordings from the time by Count Basie, Benny Goodman, Bing Crosby, Nat King Cole, and Kay Starr; and some other material, including one track, "American Anthem," recorded by Norah Jones on piano and vocal specifically for the series (and previously unreleased prior to its appearance here). Disc two, "Sentimental Journey: Hits from the Second World War," has some of the smoother and more romantic jazz-pop hits of the era by the likes of Benny Goodman, Frank Sinatra, the Mills Brothers, Cab Calloway, Harry James, and Tommy Dorsey. Disc three, "I'm Beginning to See the Light: Dance Hits from the Second World War," has swing jazz that repeats some names from earlier in the box (Goodman, Basie, Miller, Artie Shaw) and adds selections from some others like Gene Krupa and Jimmie Lunceford, and is the CD most likely to be enjoyed by general music fans. The fourth and final disc, "Songs Without Words: Classical Music from The War," has ten classical pieces recorded between 1963 and 2006 of a subdued and mournful nature, two of which noted cellist Yo-Yo Ma plays on, and one (Aaron Copland's "Concerto for Clarinet, Strings, Harp and Piano") on which Benny Goodman plays clarinet. This is primarily recommended to those viewers deeply impressed by the series, rather than the general music listener, who might find the range of styles -- primarily mixing jazz and classical sides, but also with some non-jazz songs from then and now -- too wide to sustain interest. An illustrated booklet from Ken Burns explains the conception and intention of the documentary series, with a smaller one explaining the reasoning behind the music selected for the soundtrack. ~ Richie Unterberger Producer: Ken Burns; Steve Berkowitz; Sarah Botstein; Lynn Novick; Duncan Allardyce; Delfeayo Marsalis; Lee Alexander Engineer: Tom Schick; James Nichols   Technical Info Release Date : 09/11/2007 Original Release Date : 2007 Catalog ID : 88697102032 Label : Legacy Recordings Number of Discs : 1 Runtime : 61m : 34s Studio/Live : Studio Mono/Stereo : Stereo SPAR Code : n/a UPC : 00886971020328    Product Image