This was 's first film score, undertaken at the urging of Anatomy of a Murder's director, . The full range of the composer's previous work was brought to bear on this 1959 work. was a natural choice to convey the rich and varied emotional moods of this drama. Tension and release, danger and safety, movement and stillness, darkness and light; the textural palette that was Ellington's signature was always compellingly cinematic. In these orchestral settings, 's soloists ( , , and others) shine, as their playing reflects true variations on a theme in a classical sense. That's not to say that this set doesn't swing, too -- "Happy Anatomy" is a short but fully cranked gallop. This is an album of rich variety and evocative writing. ~ Rovi Staff