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Genre:
Soundtrack
Release Date: 09/27/2005
George Clooney's 2005 film
Good Night, and Good Luck is set in New York City during the '50s, and the director decided the right music to go with the black-and-white cinematography was
jazz. More specifically, current recordings from vocalist
Dianne Reeves and a small combo featuring some silky smooth tenor and alto sax from
Matt Catingub,
Peter Martin on piano, and
Jeff Hamilton on drums with
Robert Hurst and
Christoph Luty splitting bass duties. The tunes are mostly classic
ballads and smoky
standards (all picked by
Clooney) that
Reeves and the group handle with a satisfyingly light touch. She gives the songs plenty of emotion but never over-sings, lending the recording a very intimate feel. Also helping with that is the sound of the album as it's free from any modern studio trickery or gloss; in fact, much of the music on the
soundtrack was recorded live during the shooting of the movie. Had
Clooney chosen songs actually recorded in the '50s, the
soundtrack may have been more authentic, but
Reeves and her group do a commendable job of re-creating the simple and sentimental sound of the era's mainstream
vocal jazz.
~Tim Sendra, All Music Guide
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