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/ News

Varese Vintage Reissues Soundtracks from Nino Rota, Taj Mahal

September 7, 2018 By Joe Marchese Leave a Comment

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Varese Vintage has just reissued a pair of soundtracks on CD from an accomplished master of the film score genre (Nino Rota) and an American blues legend (Taj Mahal).

1979's Hurricane proved to be Nino Rota's final score.  It found the Italian-born composer (The Godfather, La Dolce Vita) adding a lush layer to the romantic "man-against-nature" adventure story.  Producer Dino De Laurentiis (King Kong, Flash Gordon) insisted the movie penned by Lorenzo Semple Jr. (the Batman television show, Three Days of the Condor) wasn't a disaster movie, as it instead emphasized the romance between the characters portrayed by Mia Farrow and newcomer Dayton Ka'ne.  The illustrious cast of the South Pacific-set drama also featured Jason Robards, Max Von Sydow, and Timothy Bottoms.

Rota joined the team assembled by Jan Troell, who had replaced Roman Polanski on the film.  The composer immersed himself in the music of Polynesia, utilizing steel guitar and Hawaiian percussion in his richly melodic score.  Rota's music reflected the mood set by the physical hurricane as well as the hurricane of emotions swirling around these characters.  Album producer Roger Mayer assembled the soundtrack with Rota's suggested sequencing, and it was originally released on LP via Elektra Records.  Sadly, Rota died on April 10, 1979 at the age of 67, just two days before the Paramount film's premiere.  Varese's reissue presents the original 16-track album as newly remastered by Chas Ferry and featuring liner notes from Jim Lochner.

BUY NOW FROM AMAZON.COM

Varese has also reissued Taj Mahal's Grammy-nominated soundtrack to 1972's Sounder.  Director Martin Ritt's film, based on William H. Armstrong's young adult novel of the same name, brought to life the story of an African-American boy living with his sharecropper family, and the crises they face.  Cicely Tyson, Paul Winfield, and Kevin Hooks all made strong impressions in the movie which became one of the year's highest-grossing films.  The legendary Alex North (A Streetcar Named Desire, Spartacus) was originally commissioned to pen the score, but after he completed his work, the decision was made to use authentic blues-based music instead.  Columbia Records artist Taj Mahal, who had a role in Sounder as the Morgan family's friend and neighbor Ike, then wrote and recorded the score heard in the film and on its soundtrack album.

A multi-instrumentalist as well as a vocalist, Taj Mahal incorporated traditional southern spiritual and roots music in his flavorful, blues-based score, which was produced by Columbia's Teo Macero (renowned for shaping many of Miles Davis' finest LPs).  Instrumentation was naturally kept to a basic minimum, with Taj playing steel guitar, harmonica, banjo, and fife.  Guitarist Lightnin' Hopkins joined Mahal on "Needed Time."  Three songs which didn't appear in the film were included on the soundtrack.

Varese's reissue marks the first appearance of Sounder on CD in over two decades, other than in a box set of Taj Mahal's Columbia recordings.  Chas Ferry has remastered from the original mono masters.  Unfortunately, a true stereo version of Sounder does not exist, and the original album was issued in rechanneled (or simulated) stereo.  Kevin H. Donan, the author of Black Film Tracks, has written new liner notes, and art director Bill Pitzonka has added a nice touch with a replica Columbia Masterworks label.

You'll find order links to both releases just below!

Nino Rota, Hurricane: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (Elektra LP 5E-504, 1979 - reissued Varese Vintage 302 067 517 8, 2018) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

  1. Main Title
  2. Guitar from the Quayside
  3. Katopua
  4. Coronation Percussion
  5. Pago-Pago Jazz
  6. Moana's Dance
  7. Love in Blossom
  8. Joy in Love of Alava
  9. Delusion
  10. Moana's Death
  11. Matangi's Escape
  12. Matangi's Love Theme
  13. Jazz in Dockland
  14. Matangi and Charlotte's Escape
  15. Bruckner's Death
  16. End Title

Taj Mahal, Sounder: Original Soundtrack Recording (Columbia Masterworks S 31944, 1972 - reissued Varese Vintage 302 067 532 8, 2018) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

  1. Needed Time - The Great Sam "Lightnin'" Hopkins
  2. Sounder Chase a Coon
  3. Needed Time (Hummin' and Pickin')
  4. Morning Work/N' Meat's on the Stove
  5. I'm Running and I'm Happy
  6. Speedball
  7. Goin' to the Country/Critters in the Woods
  8. Motherless Children (Hummin')
  9. Jailhouse Blues
  10. Just Workin'
  11. Harriet's Dance Song
  12. Two Spirits Reunited
  13. David Runs Again
  14. Curiosity Blues
  15. Someday Be a Change
  16. Horseshoes
  17. Cheraw
  18. David's Dream
  19. Needed Time (Guitar)
  20. Needed Time (Banjo and Hand-Clapping)

Categories: News Formats: CD Genre: Blues, Soundtracks Tags: Nino Rota, Taj Mahal

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Joe Marchese

JOE MARCHESE (Editor) joined The Second Disc shortly after its launch in early 2010, and has since penned daily news and reviews about classic music of all genres. In 2015, Joe formed the Second Disc Records label. Celebrating the great songwriters, producers and artists who created the sound of American popular song, Second Disc Records, in conjunction with Real Gone Music, has released newly-curated collections produced by Joe from iconic artists such as Johnny Mathis, Bobby Darin, Laura Nyro, Melissa Manchester, Chet Atkins, and many others. He has contributed liner notes to reissues from a diverse array of artists, among them Nat "King" Cole, Paul Williams, Lesley Gore, Dusty Springfield, B.J. Thomas, The 5th Dimension, Burt Bacharach, The Mamas and the Papas, Carpenters, Perry Como, Rod McKuen, Doris Day, Jackie DeShannon, and Andy Williams, and has compiled releases for talents including Robert Goulet and Keith Allison of Paul Revere and the Raiders. Over the past two decades, Joe has also worked in a variety of capacities on and off Broadway as well as at some of the premier theatres in the U.S., including Lincoln Center Theater, George Street Playhouse, Paper Mill Playhouse, Long Wharf Theatre, and the York Theatre Company. He has felt privileged to work on productions alongside artists such as the late Jack Klugman, Eli Wallach, Arthur Laurents, Betty Comden and Adolph Green. In 2009, Joe began contributing theatre and music reviews to the print publication The Sondheim Review, and in 2012, he joined the staff of The Digital Bits as a regular contributor writing about film and television on DVD and Blu-ray. Joe currently resides in the suburbs of New York City.

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