Michel Legrand - Higher Ground '2018

Tracks list

Tracklist:

01. My Funny Valentine
02. Round Midnight
03. The Windmills of Your Mind
04. Baby, Just for Me
05. This Cant Be Love
06. Dont Get Around Much Anymore
07. People Will Say Were in Love
08. Theres a Small Hotel
09. Falling in Love with Love
10. Blue Moon
11. Wild Man Blues
12. Blue and Sentimental
13. The Lady Is a Tramp
14. A Wonderful Guy
15. Summertime
16. Stompin at the Savoy
17. Im Confessin (That I Love You)
18. Have You Met Miss Jones
19. It Might as Well Be Spring
20. Jitterbug Waltz
21. Django
22. Getting to Know You
23. Youre Just the Kind
24. Yesterdays
25. Some Enchanted Evening
26. Old Devil Moon
27. In a Mist
28. Nuages
29. Too Marvelous for Words
30. Smoke Gets in Your Eyes
31. A Night in Tunisia
32. If I Loved You

 Biography:One of the most acclaimed film composers of his generation, Michel
Legrand was also a sophisticated jazz pianist and songwriter whose lyrical sound
evoked the romance, style, and cool élan of Paris. A classical piano prodigy,
Legrand emerged in the 1950s with a series of successful mood albums that led to
his landmark 1958 recording Legrand Jazz with Miles Davis, Ben Webster, Bill
Evans, and others. He quickly moved into film composing, his swinging
arrangements helping to define the sound of the French New Wave on films like
Jean-Luc Godards My Life to Live and Agnes Vardas Cleo from 5 to 7. He also
enjoyed a long creative partnership with director Jacques Demy that started with
his innovative musical The Umbrellas of Cherbourg. Embraced by Hollywood,
Legrand collaborated regularly with songwriters Marilyn & Alan Bergman, winning
Academy Awards for their work on such iconic films as 1968s The Thomas Crown
Affair and 1983s Yentl. Along with his storied soundtracks, Legrand continued to
record his own albums, like his 1968 trio album At Shellys Manne-Hole, as well
as larger productions with artists like Sarah Vaughan, Stan Getz, Stephane
Grappelli, and Natalie Dessay, among others. In 2017, he returned to his
classical roots with Michel Legrand: Concerto pour piano; Concerto pour
violoncelle, and in 2018 he scored director Peter Bogdanovichs completed version
of Orson Welles film The Other Side of the Wind. It was his last major work; he
died in early 2019 after being hospitalized with a pulmonary infection.

I Love ParisBorn in 1932 in Paris, Michel Jean Legrand grew up in a musical
family alongside his sister, soprano vocalist Christiane. His father was noted
composer and conductor Raymond Legrand and his mother was Marcelle
Ter-Mikaëlian, sister of saxophonist and bandleader Jacques Hélian.
Legrands father and mother split up when he was three, and he spent much of his
time alone. It was during this period that he discovered his talent for music
while playing a neighbors old piano. At age ten, his mother enrolled him in the
Paris Conservatory where he excelled studying under Nadia Boulanger, Henri
Challan, and Noël Gallon. Graduating with top honors, he embarked on his
professional career as musical director and accompanist to singer/actor Maurice
Chevalier. While with Chevalier, he toured the world, traveling for the first
time to the United States. It was during this period in 1950 that he also made
his solo debut with the chart-topping instrumental album I Love Paris. More
thematic and mood-based albums followed, including 1955s Holiday in Rome, 1956s
Bonjour Paris, and 1958s Legrand in Rio.

The Young Girls of RochefortFollowing his success with his themed albums,
Legrand recorded 1958s Legrand Jazz, an ambitious all-star production featuring
a bevy of name performers including Miles Davis, Ben Webster, Herbie Mann, Phil
Woods, and others. Also during the 50s, Legrand expanded into film work
beginning with the score to director Henri Verneuils 1955 drama Les Amants du
Tage. He quickly became known for his work with auteurs of the French New Wave,
composing for films by Jean-Luc Godard, Agnès Varda, and François
Reichenbach. He developed an especially close creative partnership with director
Jacques Demy, crafting the innovative 1964 musical The Umbrellas of Cherbourg,
which mixed stylized musical traditions with a realists sensibility. One of the
songs, Je ne pourrai jamais vivre sans toi, gained popular acceptance and was
covered by such luminaries as Nana Mouskouri, Frank Sinatra, Louis Armstrong,
and more. Legrand and Demy continued to work together on films including 1966s
The Young Girls of Rochefort, and 1970s Donkey Skin.

Summer of 42 [Original Motion Picture Score]In the late 60s, Legrand traveled to
Hollywood and soon began splitting his time between Paris and Los Angeles. In
1968, he scored director Norman Jewisons heist film The Thomas Crown Affair. One
of the most celebrated and sophisticated soundtracks of its era, it won an
Academy Award for Best Original Song for The Windmills of Your Mind. Written by
Legrand with English lyrics by Marilyn & Alan Bergman, The Windmills of Your
Mind marked a lasting relationship between Legrand and the Bergmans, who
collaborated often throughout the next 20 years. They were again nominated for
Best Original Song, both for What Are You Doing the Rest of Your Life? from
1969s Happy Ending, and for Pieces of Dreams, the theme from Daniel Hallers 1970
film of the same name. Other notable films Legrand scored in the 70s include
1971s TV football drama Brians Song, 1971s The Go-Between, and 1971s The Summer
of 42. Both Brians Song and The Summer of 42 won the Grammy Awards for Best
Instrumental Composition. In 1973, Legrand also composed the music for Orson
Welles docudrama F for Fake.

With Michel LegrandApart from film work during this period, collaborated with
bassist Ray Brown and drummer Shelly Manne for a live trio concert issued as At
Shellys Manne-Hole. He also appeared on saxophonist Bud Shanks 1969 album
Windmills of Your Mind. 1972s Sarah Vaughan with Michel Legrand featured
standards along with many of the songs the pianist wrote with Marilyn & Alan
Bergman. Also that year, he played on and supplied the orchestration for Stan
Getzs album Communications 72. He then arranged vocalist Lena Hornes 1975 album
Lena & Michel. That same year, he supplied the orchestration for Phil Woods
album Images, which won the Grammy Awards for Best Instrumental Composition and
Best Jazz Performance by a Big Band. Le Jazz Grand arrived in 1978 and found
Legrand leading a big band through his Southern Routes jazz suite based on his
soundtrack to the film Les Routes de la Sud. The album also featured several
septet tracks with altoist Woods, trumpeter Jon Faddis, and baritonist Gerry
Mulligan.

After the RainThe 80s found Legrand continuing to move easily between soundtrack
work and his jazz-oriented recordings. On his own, Legrand recorded the 1982
septet album After the Rain, again with Phil Woods, as well as tenor saxophonist
Zoot Sims, trumpeter Joe Wilder, guitarist Gene Bertoncini, bassist Ron Carter,
and drummer Grady Tate. The following year, he and the Bergmans picked up an
Academy Award Nomination for Best Original Song for How Do You Keep the Music
Playing? from the film of the same name. The song also became a Top Five
Billboard Adult Contemporary chart hit for James Ingram and Patti Austin.

Never Say Never AgainMost famously, Legrand wrote the music for Barbara
Streisands 1983 directorial debut Yentl. Once again working with Marilyn & Alan
Bergman, he co-wrote the songs Papa, Can You Hear Me? and The Way He Makes Me
Feel, both of which were nominated for Best Original Song at the Academy Awards.
Legrand ultimately took home the award for Best Adaptation Score. Other
soundtrack work during this period included 1980s Elliot Gould and Susannah York
rom-com Falling in Love Again, a largely unused score for director Louis Malles
1981 film Atlantic City, 1982s Best Friends with Burt Reynolds and Goldie Hawn,
and Sean Connerys 1983 return to the James Bond franchise Never Say Never Again,
among others.

Dingo [Motion Picture Soundtrack]In 1991, Legrand reunited with Miles Davis for
the soundtrack to the film Dingo in which Davis also appeared. It was the first
time they had worked together since 1958s Legrand Jazz. The following year, he
issued the trio album Autumn in Paris, followed by a collaboration with
violinist Stéphane Grappelli. He then paired with opera singer Kiri Te Kanawa
for 1992s Magic: Kiri Sings Michel Legrand. Another classical album, Erik Satie
by Michel Legrand, arrived the following year, as did Michel Plays Legrand, in
which he led an all-star group featuring trumpeter Arturo Sandoval, trombonist
Bill Watrous, altoist Bud Shank, flutists Buddy Collette and Hubert Laws,
guitarist John Pisano, bassist Brian Bromberg, and drummer Peter Erskine.
Another trio date, The Warm Shade of Memory, appeared in 1995 and included a
guest spot from harmonica player Toots Thielemans. He also continued to do
notable film work including supplying the score to Paul Mazurskys 1993s satire
of the Hollywood industry The Pickle, Robert Altmans 1994 satire of the fashion
industry Pret-A-Porter (Ready to Wear), and director Claude Lelouchs 1995
version of Les Misérables.

Michel LegrandIn 2002, Legrand issued his first-ever solo piano recording of his
own music, Michel Legrand by Michel Legrand. He also stayed busy with film work,
composing the score for Claude Lelouchs thriller And Now...Ladies and Gentlemen
starring Jeremy Irons and singer Patricia Kaas. He wrote the music for the 2009
French-Belgian drama Oscar and the Lady in Pink. He then returned to his solo
work with his first holiday-themed album, 2011s Noel! Noel! Noel! Two years
later he paired with singer Natalie Dessay for the studio album Entre Elle et
Lui. In 2014, he premiered a ballet based on Hungarian playwright Ferenc
Molnárs 1909 play Liliom, which was commissioned by choreographer John
Neumeier and the Hamburg Ballet. Also that year, his opera Dreyfus opened at
Opéra de Nice. He also toured in celebration of the 50th Anniversary of The
Umbrellas of Cherbourg, and scored the film La Rançon de la Gloire (The Price
of Fame).

Michel Legrand & Ses AmisAn all-star studio album, Michel Legrand & Ses Amis,
arrived in 2015 and featured appearances by Charles Aznavour, Muriel Robin,
Thomas Dutronc, and others. The following year, he received an honorary
Doctorate from Western Michigan University. He also toured alongside singer
Vincent Niclo. In 2017, he paired with the Orchestre Philharmonique de France
for his classical album Michel Legrand: Concerto pour piano; Concerto pour
violoncelle. He also reunited with Natalie Dessay for Between Yesterday and
Tomorrow. In 2018, Legrand provided the score for the long-uncompleted Orson
Welles film The Other Side of the Wind. Finally reconstructed by director Peter
Bogdanovich, Welles film premiered on Netflix that year, and featured newly
orchestrated music from Legrand, who had previously worked with Welles for 1973s
F for Fake. Legrand died early in 2019 after being hospitalized with a pulmonary
infection. ~ Matt Collar

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