MRH : In the 1950's there were a lot of Jazzmen that went to Paris and composed there -

OS : Yes -

MRH : There must be a large amount of jazz scores still unreleased in France . In Italy a few scores appeared featuring Chet Baker, and France 's Fontana records have made a few attempts, such as Miles Davis' score, Elevator to the Gallows ; Art Blakey's scores for Dangerous Liaisons , Des femmes disparaissent, and Les tricheurs [on which Peterson appears himself] , and Barney Wilen's Un temoin dans las ville, Jazz sur seine .

OS : A lot depends on the film producer or the director. If you get the wrong person, then problems could arise]. For instance, there are so many movies that could have withstood a heavier jazz score, or would have made the film work a lot better. But what you get is the overlords that come in and say, 'No, no, no, we can't have that.' I turned down a movie recently for that reason. I sensed interference right away, and before it got to that [level] I just said 'No, I'm not available.' Why bring that kind of confrontation on yourself? After all the meetings, one of the parties who had asked me to write turned around and said, 'You know, I never did like jazz. I was raised in the classical element.' Now I don't know what the hell that was supposed to mean, but that was the period at the end of the sentence for me. Obviously that leaves me out. But then, this is the party that came roaring back begging me to do the film, and I just didn't even bother.

This is what you're fighting all the time. And when you get that kind of attitude going in front, you haven't got a chance with the film afterwards. They'll just chop your score to pieces, and you'll never recognize it.

MRH : What did you think of Clint Eastwood's Bird , and the electronic magic that was used to isolate Charlie Parker's solos?

[Parker's sax solos were separated from the other instruments, and new performers were used to re-record the suppressed passages to create a new stereo master].

OS : I think it could have been used a little better. It tended to have a canned quality to me. They did some excellent "refurbishing" if you want to call it, but I think that kind of thing needs the total live thing - written and performed for that particular score. There are people that - well, although Sonny Stitt is no longer here - there are a lot of other people who can play just like Bird. They admired him that much, and were in that bag.

I wasn't crazy about the movie to be truthful with you. I wonder if they're ever going to have a movie about a jazz musician - whoever it may have been or will be - that doesn't end tragically. There's been a lot of people like Basie and Ellington, whose musical lives have been exemplary in this way. [Producers] always bypass them, looking for all the people who have died of something.

MRH : Spike Lee's ' Mo Better Blues contained a depressing end, and had a few really obnoxious stereotypes in spite of having great music, and style.

OS : I haven't seen the film, but they all seem to go that way. We're not necessarily looking for a success story, but what's wrong with an Ellington story, or a Basie story, or a Gillespie story? [Jazz movies] all have the Billy Holiday syndrome - they all have to end in tragedy.

It's ironic that since Peterson made those statements, eleven years have yielded some outstanding documentaries - both feature-length and serialized sagas on TV - but no dramatic biographies on either Gillespie, Basie, or Ellington. Not that there's been another doom & gloom saga, but the lengthy careers of these milestones are perhaps so engrossing and epic, that the time allotted within a two or three hour movie can only benefit the short lives of bright stars who burned bright, and went poof! before they hit forty. Besides, an ephemeral existence leaves extra room for the music numbers.

As of this writing, Ken Wannberg's score of arranged and orchestrated themes by Oscar Peterson has yet to receive a commercial or promotional release.

Wannberg's own work as a composer has been issued on a series of CDs. Among the best are The Philadelphia Experiment (previously issued on vinyl by Rhino, and reissued by Prometheus), The Mother Lode and Of Unknown Origin (both also from Prometheus). Wannberg also functioned as conductor/arranger on Joel Michaels' other little cult thriller, The Changeling (released on CD by Percepto), with Howard Blake contributing the film's music box theme, and the aforementioned Rick Wilkins writing the film score (and like Peterson, this was his solo feature film venture). Wannberg later became John Williams' key music editor, and now rarely composes for films as a solo artist. Peterson and Wilkins, however, eventually collaboratedon the 1978 NFB documentary, Fields of Endless Day, with Peterson as composer.

The Silent Partner can still be found on LP (Pablo Today #2312-103) and it's a fairly light collection of themes performed by an incredible group of musicians - Piano: Oscar Peterson, Alto sax: Benny Carter, Trumpet: Clark Terry, Tenor sax: Zoot Sims, Vibes: Milt Jackson, Bass: John Heard, Drums: Grady Tate. Note, however, that Pablo's early cassette tapes should be avoided at all costs, as many were recorded very low, with some sides often yielding muddy, unintelligible audio.

This interview originally appeared in Music from the Movies, Issue 6, Fall 1994, and was tweaked & revised, with new intro & conclusion, in the Fall of 2005. Entire contents of both versions copyrighted by Mark R. Hasan. All rights reserved.