Behind the Music with Lennie Niehaus

Chances are, if you're a saxophone player you're familiar with Yamaha saxophone clinician Lennie Niehaus' work. The award-winning composer, arranger, and performer parlayed his teachings and his own experiences with the Stan Kenton Orchestra into developing his own series of books called Basic Jazz Conception for Saxophone. The sought-after composer's musical works can be heard in a number of films including many Clint Eastwood-directed movies.

The St. Louis, Missouri, native received his bachelor's degree and teaching credentials from California State University in Los Angeles. After touring for years with Kenton, Niehaus started teaching privately in 1959. His students wanted to learn how to play with a jazz conception, which can be difficult to teach, according to Niehaus. "Playing jazz is difficult because although the notes look the same, they are played with a different feeling. I had to try and get that across to my students," says Niehaus. His trips to the local music stores left him empty-handed. "There was nothing on the market at that time that explained how to play with a jazz conception. So I would assign the students an exercise based on a standard jazz rhythm. I also would incorporate a tune with the exercise so my students wouldn't get bored." After weeks of lessons, Niehaus found himself with 12 exercises and 10 tunes. "I went to a publisher and told him how a jazz conception book was sorely needed for those players who were trying to play with a jazz feeling," he says. The mini-lessons were combined to create the first volume of Basic Jazz Conception for Saxophone. Niehaus was unaware of the phenomenon he had started.

Soon after the first book was published, Niehaus realized that other books were needed for students as they entered higher levels of learning. "As my pupils got better, I went on to write 20 more exercises and 25 more tunes," says Niehaus. The series continued to grow and became a huge hit in the music market. A second volume of the basic book was written, and an advanced issue was developed along with a duet version. "I wrote 12 duets where I would play the first part and the student would play the second," he says. When Niehaus began teaching jazz improvisation, he worked his teachings into yet another book that included solos, studies, and duets.

Being a successful teacher wasn't enough for Niehaus. He spent five years studying composition in college and wanted to test his skills in Hollywood. He recognized getting into scoring for films would be no small feat. The market for film scorers was not exactly huge, and just getting his foot through the door and his music heard would be a challenge-but he was up to it.

Niehaus looked for work as an orchestrator, hoping that allying himself with an already established composer would gain him exposure and credibility. "I orchestrated for Jerry Fielding, who did a lot of great movies for directors Sam Peckinpah and Clint Eastwood," says Niehaus. Fielding worked on films throughout the '70s and '80s such as "The Wild Bunch," "The Big Sleep," and "Escape from Alcatraz." Niehaus was Fielding's only orchestrator at the time. "These days, composers will have 10 to 12 orchestrators," he says. Working under Fielding proved to be a tremendous break in Niehaus's career. He was introduced to filmmakers and was able to put his name to several scores. Niehaus gained a reputation as a versatile composer and took on work in films of several genres. After years of following in Fielding's footsteps, Niehaus broke out on his own. When Fielding passed away, filmmakers like Eastwood looked to Niehaus to put music to their varied films.

Decades after launching his film-scoring career, Niehaus continues to keep abreast of the technological advances in the music world. He says film-scoring students should always be open and aware of these advances in order to succeed. "These days there are a lot of synthesizers and things that the composer has to be up on," he says. "They have to be aware of these tools and know how they are used." Niehaus also recommends students become orchestrators, just as he did so many years ago. "Get connected with a composer that has a stable of orchestrators and be an orchestrator first," he says. "Try to break in that way."

When he's not spending time in postproduction on a film, Niehaus gladly travels the country conducting clinics with students, teachers, and even professional musicians-and he usually has at least one person in the audience who grew up practicing with one of his books. "It's kind of fun because the kids come up to me and say, 'I'm playing your books!' It's a great feeling," he says.

The books reach more than just saxophone players. Trumpet, clarinet, and even guitar players have used his lessons year after year, because the books offer a clear and concise plan for both teaching and learning jazz conception. "A lot of kids started out learning from my books and grew up to become teachers," explains Niehaus. "Because they are comfortable with my lessons, they pass them on to their own students."

Niehaus says even he is surprised that a few little lessons designed to simplify jazz fundamentals became such a hit. "The books mushroomed into something we never even anticipated and they keep selling every year," he says.