BARNEY WILEN WITH THE MAL WALDRON TRIO — Movie Themes From France (1990) Two Version | WV + FLAC (image+.tracks+.cue), lossless

Soft and sensuous, saxophonist Barney Wilen runs gently through eight French movie soundtracks, with the Mal Waldron Trio behind him. Wilen came to international attention decades before with his work with Miles Davis, and several of the themes here were actually written by the trumpeter. Wilen has been criticized for sounding tired on this recording, and, in fact, his sound does sometimes sound somewhat sleepy, though often attractively so. In ways, this sounds a bit like Stan Getz minus some oomph. The results are lazily appealing, the sort of melodies that might be soothing after a long day. This is not to imply, though, that Wilen is anything less than a very strong jazz performer, as his phrasing and choice of notes are smack dab in the middle of the jazz tradition. Yet, even when he builds tension, as he likes to do on his soprano, it has the feel of being held back. He is best heard on tenor, and on those tracks his lilting, soft forays usually hit the mark. Waldron is an oddly sympathetic voice, so much so that the music is often in danger of drifting to paradise. Steve Loewy
Tracklist : 
1 Un Homme Et Une Femme 6:20
Written-By – Fr. Lai, P. Barouh 
2 Julien Dans L'Ascenseur / Florence Sur Les Champs Elysées 7:28
Written-By – M. Davis
3 Les Parapluies de Cherbourg 9:53
Written-By – M. Legrand
4 No Problem 8:42
Written-By – D. Jordan
5 Manha De Carnaval 10:29
Written-By – L. Bonfá
6 Générique 6:53
Written-By – M. Davis
7 Les Feuilles Mortes (Autumn Leaves) 7:41
Written-By – J. Kosma
8 Quiet Temple 9:36
Written-By – M. Waldron
Credits :
Bass – Stafford James
Drums – Eddie Moore
Piano – Mal Waldron
Tenor Saxophone, Soprano Saxophone – Barney Wilen