Lennie Niehaus, 1929-2020
Composer Lennie Niehaus died on May 28, 2020, at his home in Redlands, California, of a heart-related illness. He was 90.
Leonard Niehaus was born in June 1929, in St. Louis, Missouri, but grew up in Los Angeles, where he developed his love for music. He graduated from California State University, Los Angeles, with a degree in music composition. Niehaus began his career as a jazz alto saxophonist, gaining prominence in the 1950s as a member of Stan Kenton’s orchestra. He was celebrated for his fluid improvisation and skillful arrangements, which earned him a respected place in the West Coast jazz scene.
In the 1960s Niehaus began orchestrating for television and film composer Jerry Fielding; Niehaus worked with Fielding on approximately seventy TV shows and films, including Straw Dogs (1971), Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia (1974), the comedy The Bad News Bears (1976), and the horror film Demon Seed (1977).
After Fielding’s death in 1980 Niehaus transitioned to film scoring himself, and quickly established a long-term collaboration with actor and director Clint Eastwood. The two men had first met when serving together in the U.S. Army at Fort Ord in 1952, and became friends over their mutual passion for jazz music. Their professional relationship began in 1984 when Niehaus wrote the score for the noir thriller Tightrope, which starred and was produced by Eastwood. He went on to compose music for scores for numerous acclaimed Eastwood films, including Pale Rider (1985), Heartbreak Ridge (1986), Bird (1988), Unforgiven (1992), A Perfect World (1993), The Bridges of Madison County (1995), Absolute Power (1997), and Space Cowboys (2000). On most of these Eastwood would write the main theme himself, and Niehaus would then adapt that theme into his score. Niehaus was nominated for a BAFTA for Bird, and won a Primetime Emmy Award in 1994 for the score for the acclaimed TV movie Lush Life.
After retiring from film music in the early 200os Niehaus spent his final years playing with jazz combos in the Los Angeles area.
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