29th Annual Sammy Film Music Awards for 2016

29th Annual Sammy Film Music Awards

The Sammy Film Music Awards (sometimes called "The Sammys") are the longest-running awards chosen exclusively for film music recordings.

They are named in honor of Sammy ("High Hopes") Cahn (1913-1993),
the movie lyricist who received 4 Oscars and 1 Emmy Award, more awards than any other movie songwriter.

Since 1988, the Sammy Film Music Awards have been chosen each year for their Excellence by Roger Hall,
a member of the International Film Music Critics Association (IFMCA),
author of the popular book, A Guide to Film Music,
and Managing Editor of the e-zine, Film Music Review.

Lyrics by Sammy Cahn

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29th Annual Sammy Film Music Awards for 2016

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The Sammy Film Music Awards

Best New Film Score on CD
Best New Film Song on CD
Best Golden Age Film Score Release
Best Silver Age Film Score Release
Best Bronze Age Film Score Release
Best TV Soundtrack Release
Special Preservation Award: Best Album Producers
Lifetime Achievement Award for Past Composer or Songwriter

29th Annual Sammy Film Music Awards for 2016

selected by Roger Hall, Film Music Critic and Historian

Best New Film Score on CD

La La Land: Original Motion Picture Score

LA-LA LAND
Music Score by Justin Hurwitz
(Interscope Records CD)

It is unfair to compare this film with vintage musicals. This is a contemporary story
with a contemporary jazz score by Justin Hurwitz that swings.

Amazing that this is only his second film score.
Classically trained, Justin Hurwitz, has composed a dynamic mix of romantic and rhythmic jazz music,
which reminds me of Michel Legrand's memorable film scores of the 1960s,
especially LES PARAPLUIES DE CHERBOURG (THE UMBRELLAS OF CHERBOURG).

LA-LA LAND is a score that deserves repeated hearings.

My pick for the best track on the CD:
No. 27 - "Epilogue" - highlights the best film themes.

Hear this "Epilogue" on YouTube

This is a gem of a score and a real pick-you-upper!

Best New Film Song on CD

La La Land: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack

"Another Day of Sun" from LA-LA LAND
music by Justin Hurwitz/ lyrics by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul
(Interscope Records CD)

Many awards will go to the best known song, "City of Stars."
It's a good song and deserves to be recognized,
but unfortunately, it is weakly sung by Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone.

For me, the opening song is the most effective in the film.
It lifted me right up in my comfortably plush movie theater chair recliner,
and made me want to get up and dance in the theater,
though I'd probably embarrass myself if I did that!

A true test of a song's worth is if you can still hear it in your head
after you hear it in the film or on the CD.

A very catchy melody with appropriately clever words to match
and a terrific opening number in the film.

Hear this song with lyrics on YouTube

Best Golden Age CD Release
(1930s - 1950s)

THE THIEF OF BAGDAD (1940)
Music Score by Miklós Rózsa
(Prometheus Records - 2 CDs)

City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra, Nic Raine, Conductor

This greatest of the early Rózsa film scores, at the top of an Online web poll,
is given a first class production with 30 minutes of bonus music.
Includes an attractive 28 page booklet
with notes by Frank K. DeWald,
and Album Producer, James Fitzpatrick.
Executive Producer: Luc Van de Ven

See another recommended release of music by Miklós Rózsa:

Best Silver Age CD Release
(1960s - 1970s)

CHINATOWN (1974)
Music composed and conducted by Jerry Goldsmith
(Intrada CD)

Executive Album Producers for Intrada: Douglass Fake and Roger Feigelson

One of Goldsmith's best scores,
featuring expanded music and the original 1974 album release.

This is a great soundtrack reissue.

See also another recommended release of music by Jerry Goldsmith:

Best TV Soundtrack Release

Downton Abbey - The Ultimate Collection [2 CD]

DOWNTON ABBEY - The Ultimate Collection
Music by John Lunn
(Decca, 2 CDs)

Though this excellent 2 CD collection was first released in 2015,
it was not widely available until 2016.

This is a wonderful collection of themes from the six seasons of
the widely acclaimed TV production.
The music is performed by the Chamber Orchestra of London,
Alastair King, conductor, with the composer at the piano.

Also includes a vocal version of the lovely TV series theme,
sung by Mary-Jess Leverland, and other vocals by Eurielle.
Why not also include the texts for these appealing vocals?

A wonderful musical remembrance of this superb TV series.

Best Multi-CD Collection Release

The Ten Commandments (6 CD Box Set)

THE TEN COMMANDMENTS (1956)
6 CDs with Booklet in Slipcase
Music by Elmer Bernstein

Like the massive collection for SPARTACUS produced by Robert Townson,
which received a Sammy Film Music Award in 2011,
this is an impressive collection of all the music composed by Elmer Bernstein,
and released on the 60th anniversary of the film's release in 1956. It includes three separate albums
from different record labels released in 1957, 1960 and 1966.

But the 3 disc box set is the best of this collection, with all the music
composed for THE TEN COMMANDMENTS, even including Elmer Bernstein playing piano demos
on CD 3. The 6-CD set includes a colorful 60 page booklet with notes by Frank K. DeWald,
technical notes by Album Producer, Douglass Fake,
and comments by film composer, Elmer Bernstein.

This is a monumental film music restoration and
highly recommended for any film music lovers library.

Special Preservation Award
Best Album Producer

AFRICA THE ALAMO (COMPLETE SCORE) THE THIEF OF BAGDAD (RE-RECORDING)

Luc Van de Ven,
Executive Producer, Prometheus Records

For many years, Luc Van de Ven from Belgium,
has been dedicated to producing and releasing older soundtracks.
He deserves to be thanked for providing film music lovers with
soundtracks not available elsewhere, including those
re-recorded by Album Producer, James Fitzpatrick
(a multiple Sammy Award recipient).

Sammy Lifetime Achievement Award
For a Past Composer or Songwriter

Since 1988, there have been 20 past American film composers/ arrangers and 8 songwriters and lyric writers named for this Lifetime Achievement Award, each of them have made significant accomplishments in film music.

The film composers and arrangers so far are (in the order of their listing):

Bernard Herrmann, Henry Mancini, Alfred Newman, Max Steiner, Miklós Rózsa, Erich Wolfgang Korngold, Dimitri Tiomkin, Franz Waxman, Victor Young, Hugo Friedhofer, Johnny Green, Bronislau Kaper, Alex North, Elmer Bernstein,
Jerry Goldsmith, , Aaron Copland, John Barry, David Raksin, Jerome Moross, Roy Webb.

The songwriters and lyricists are (in order of their listing):

Sammy Cahn, Ken Darby, Jay Livingston and Ray Evans, Johnny Mercer, James Van Heusen,
Harry Warren, Paul Francis Webster.

This year I'm selecting --

Leigh Adrian Harline (1907-1969)

A prolific composer and songwriter, Leigh Harline worked in feature films, movie short subjects,
and TV programs from the 1930s to 1960s.

He was especially active at the Walt Disney Studio in the 1930s and 1940s, where he worked with other composers and lyricists,
including Frank Churchill, Paul J. Smith, and Ned Washington.

Leigh Harline, Walt Disney, Frank Churchill

PINOCCHIO - Complete Soundtrack CD

Harline is believed to be the first composer to win an Oscar for both his score (PINOCCHIO, 1940), with some of the music provided by Paul J. Smith, who also received an Oscar, and also the classic song, "When You Wish Upon A Star" - lyrics by Ned Washington. I remember watching this animated film as a young boy and was thrilled and deeply moved when Cliff Edwards as "Jimminy Cricket" sang "When You Wish Upon A Star." This Oscar-winning song was used very effectively as an instrumental by the greatest film composer working today, John Williams,
in his monumental score for the sci-fi film, CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND (1977).

PINOCCHIO remains an all-time favorite Disney film for many and both the music score and songs are timeless.

Harline also worked on the score and songs for Walt Disney's first feature length animated film, SNOW WHITE AND THE SEVEN DWARFS (1937) - with Frank Churchill and Larry Morey on the songs and with Paul J. Smith on the score.

Other film scores Harline composed include film noirs (PICKUP ON SOUTH STREET, 1953) and westerns like this one from 1954:

BROKEN LANCE CD

Leigh Harline may not be a household name to most movie fans,
but he deserve to be remembered for the quality film music he composed over many years.

See his extensive film credits, over 200 as composer, at IMDb