Lennie Niehaus proved to be a valuable asset both onstage as well as behind the scenes throughout his lengthy career. Born in St. Louis, Missouri, on June 11, 1929, Niehaus joined Stan Kenton’s band immediately after graduation from college, filling a dual role as an alto saxophone player and as an arranger for the group. Niehaus collaborated with Kenton for over a decade both onstage and in the studio, but stepped aside from band life to pursue work in film and television.
Niehaus began working as an orchestrator for composer Jerry Fielding, who wrote the music for popular television series including Charlie’s Angels and Hogan’s Heroes, and the two collaborated into the late 1970s. Niehaus and Fielding also began working in the film business, and helmed the music for the films The Bad News Bears, Straw Dogs, and The Wild Bunch, with the latter two earning Oscar nominations for their scores.
The two also worked on the Oscar-nominated score for The Outlaw Josey Wales, starring Clint Eastwood, who Niehaus had known and bonded with over jazz during his days in the army. Their paths freshly crossed again, Eastwood brought Niehaus onto his team, and the two collaborated for decades on the scores of many films Eastwood starred in and directed. Niehaus’ jazz background proved particularly useful on Eastwood’s 1988 film, Bird, in which Forest Whitaker portrayed Charlie Parker. In addition to working on the much-praised score, Niehaus also coached Whitaker on how to imitate Parker’s stage mannerisms and posture. Whitaker and Niehaus teamed up again in 1993 on Lush Life, a made-for-TV movie set in the jazz world, and Niehaus won an Emmy for the score.
Niehaus and Eastwood continued to collaborate into the twentieth century, with Niehaus gradually stepping back to orchestrate rather than to compose. Their final pairing was on the 2008 film Gran Torino, and with a 2004 album standing as his last recording outside of the movies, Niehaus effectively retired. He died on May 28, 2020.
