Barney Wilen
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Barney Wilen (March 4, 1937–May 25, 1996) was a French tenor and soprano saxophonist and jazz composer.
Wilen was born in Nice; his father was an American dentist turned inventor, and his mother was French. He began performing in clubs in Nice after being encouraged by Blaise Cendrars who was a friend of his mother. Wilen was only 16 when he wrote his first two soundtracks Un Témoin Dans la Ville and Jazz sur scène with Kenny Clarke. His career was boosted in 1957 when he worked with Miles Davis on the soundtrack Ascenseur pour l'Échafaud. He wrote a soundtrack for Roger Vadim's film Les Liaisons Dangeureuse two years later, working with Thelonious Monk. Wilen returned to composing for French films in the 1980s and 1990s. In the mid to late 1960s he became interested in rock, and recorded an album dedicated to Timothy Leary. He also worked with punk rockers before returning to jazz in the 1990s. Wilen played with modern jazz musicians until his death in 1996. He died in Paris at the age 59.
In 1987, French comic book artist Jacques de Loustal and author Philippe Paringaux paid homage to Wilen in their "bande dessinée" Barney et la note bleue ("Barney and the blue note").
[edit] External links
- Barney Wilen at the Internet Movie Database
- All Music
- Official Barney Wilen website
- An extensive source on Barney Wilen's career
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