A trip through (1920s-1940s) American pop and jazz!

The music from this film was so enjoyable, I went directly from the theater to Best Buy. In fact, during the film I was mentally trying to get the actors to be quiet so I could try to identify the (familiar) music in the background! Vince Giordano and the Nighthawks (that's Giordano himself playing the bass in the male vocal trio doing "Happy Feet")! Carefully reprocessed music from original 78s! What more could one ask from a soundtrack album. Leadbelly's ballad about Howard Hughes, played during the credits, was a definite bonus.

One of the best 1920s-1940s pop compilations

I saw "The Aviator" and was not entirely impressed (it was a bit on the boring side), but this soundtrack CD is fantastic! Whether you saw the film or not, if you like vintage jazz and big bands, get this CD. It would be impossible to put together a single-CD "best of" collection for the 1920s-1940s, and what makes this CD so refreshing is that it doesn't try to be a "best of" disc. Some of the era's most memorable recordings are here, like Glenn Miller's "Moonlight Serenade" and Benny Goodman's "Moonglow," but these standards are complemented with some lesser-known but equally deserving selections such as the hot "Fireworks" by the Original Memphis Five. The producers of this disc have done an outstanding job assembling a varied collection that never gets tiring.



By far, the highlights of the disc--and the reason I bought it--are the modern recreations of 1920s-1940s pop tunes by Vince Giordano's Nighthawks. For those who aren't familiar with the Nighthawks, I should add that they are one of the top bands active today performing music of the '20s-'40s (and the best, in my opinion). What makes the Nighthawks so special is that they strive to authentically recreate the sound of the bands of that era -- these are not the corny-sounding, over-the-top parodies of "flapper" music that you used to find on Reader's Digest sets or on those Grand Award LP's directed by Enoch Light. Not at all. Giordano and members of his band treat the music with respect and often perform note-for-note from original arrangements or recordings. Just compare the Nighthawks' arrangement of "I'll Build A Stairway to Paradise" with the 1922 recording by Paul Whiteman (forgetting Rufus Wainwright's vocal for the moment). It's uncanny! However, where the 1922 Whiteman recording suffers from the tinny sound of acoustical recording, Giordano's Nighthawks burst forth in full-range, stereo sound. Purists may argue that some of the vocals on the recreation tracks (particularly Wainwright's) do not accurately reflect singing styles of the 1920s, and that may be true, but Wainwright's sappy-sounding, almost whiny vocal stylings don't bother me very much. If the vocals don't interest you, then check out some of the hot instrumentals, like "Shake That Thing" "Happy Feet," or "Yellow Dog Blues." If those don't set your feet tapping, then you're probably already dead.



Generally, the sound of the disc is excellent. I was disappointed with the Original Memphis Five recording of "Somebody Stole My Gal," which suffers from severe digital over-processing (with added digital artifacts and a general "muddy" sound). The remastering of the other vintage recordings is quite nice, and the sound of the modern recordings is fabulous--they are rich, warm, and full-sounding, just as if the Nighthawks were right in front of you.



A few notes in the booklet about the recordings and pieces would have been appreciated (in place of movie stills), but overall, I was very impressed with this CD, and would heartily recommend it to any fan of 1920s-1940s jazz and popular music. It's excellent!

Stands on Its Own

"The Aviator: Music from the Motion Picture" is an excellent CD that stands on its own as a musical collection. The highlights for me are the two Wainwrights, Rufus & Loudon. For those who have also seen the motion picture, we know that both of these great singers were featured in the film singing these great tunes. On Gershwin's "I'll Build A Stairway to Paradise," Rufus goes near nutty on this delightfully zany number. On "After You've Gone," the clarinets and trumpets swing for a minute & a half before Loudon Wainwright III enters vocally crooning as though born to this era of music, "You'll feel blue, you'll feel sad, you'll miss the best friend you've ever had." Both father & son do amazing jobs on the soundtrack & in the film. The Original Memphis Five were ironically from New Orleans and recorded between 1921-1931. Here, they have two instrumental tracks, the good time feel of "Somebody Stole My Gal" and a more big band swinging sound on "Fireworks" that will send your neck swaying side to side. The Manhattan Rhythm Kings' "Happy Feet" is a joyfully old-sounding rendition of this jazz classic. David Johansen was first known as a member of the glam band New York Dolls and then went solo in the late 70s as a punk rocker. Here he bops joyfully through a Fats Waller tune "Ain't Cha Glad" that is a delight. Of the big bands, Artie Shaw is chilling on the spooky "Nightmare" with a great brass arrangement. Harry James toots and trots through "Back Beat Boogie" while Glenn Miller sounds as familiarly classic as ever on "Moonlight Serenade." Benny Goodman's clarinet is stunning on "Moonglow." Martha Wainwright (Loudon's daughter and Rufus' sister) does a good job on the weeper "I'll Be Seeing You." [This appearance is certainly more memorable than her "Bloody Mother..." EP, which needed a stronger guiding hand.] With the Ink Spots & Lead Belly also chiming in, this Aviator set is a wonderful timepiece, combining some great new versions of old songs with some classic jazz. Bravo!