Pollock

Review by Thomas Glorieux:

Ed Harris' directorial debut Pollock, the respected art biography of painter Jackson Pollock is by no means a bad work or movie, its only a piece of work that will not receive much attention, only the doses of respect of critics and art fans. And for that he went for a more obscure name in the likes of Jeff Beal as composer, now mostly known for his Carnivāle, Medium and Rome Television music. What Jeff Beal composed here for Pollock is a respected restrained piece that cleverly shows little thematic material but an abundance of intellectual beauty, once you seek and discover it. Like a painting, those who seek out for the details find the true art and meaning of its artist, so too is Pollock a score that holds a lot of interesting qualities that may find a hand in your appreciation. Already so with the rhythmic brushstroke that controls the entire art line of this musical portrait, a rapid rhythmic and extremely diverse piece of clever creativity, only you know it as the trailer music of The Terminal as I did long ago. Now it stands as the clever piece that is 'Alone in A Crowd'. With 'Beauty from Pain' Beal sinks you in a deep mood with a low cello and solo piano and it are the mere instruments that command the artist's voice in this, piano and solo violin in 'The Window' or moody strings with piano and solo trumpet in 'Plant your Garden', Beal guides his music through tiny phrases of self discovery. However the rhythm that mostly returns is the opening track's theme, in 'One Man Show' it links itself with the second track's theme while in 'Stroke of Genius' its presented somewhat differently now with the backup of low trumpet and solo piano. And suddenly the score receives a shining sunlight from 'Stroke by Stroke' when a guitar gives it meaning and color.

That the score mostly resolves around these instruments or theme wise variations is true, but Jeff Beal still makes the most of it. 'Breaking the Rules' and 'The Look' bring it in mere variations that it never bores, what's even more important is that the final tracks still sounds fresh and somewhat different from all the rest, the only drawback is 'The Mural goes On and On' that contains brief dialogue. Other tracks that come to mind are 'Art of This Century' where a pizzicato move brings more renewal and the short but brilliant intriguing 'A Life's Work' where the rhythmic main theme is put on the background while the solo trumpet rises over it in spine tingling effect, especially after everything else. The song is for me of no consequence even though it fits strangely with the score's mood and artistry. In the end, its in a way surprising how much I liked Jeff Beal's effort for Pollock immediately, because for me its a score that needs multiple listens to fully appreciate the meaning behind it. And yet his catchy creative line throughout the score and above all the perfect surrounding mood he paints from start to finish is what makes Pollock just so interesting. Its a score of no real beauty but the beauty does have a meaning if you simply pay attention. Like in a painting, the intricacies are all around you and the details are fluently woven together. Here Jeff Beal made of simple key instruments and a returning rhythmic process that his painting suddenly had a meaning, and a musical background for sure. For the movie its an absolute fit, on CD it especially works effectively by painting what is essentially known as the artists hand in it. Pollock is a pleasant surprise.

\ĩĩĩ1/2/

Tracks

Single Disc

1. Alone In A Crowd (2.14) Excellent Track

2. Beauty From Pain (1.55)

3. One Man Show (2.02)

4. The Window (1.37)

5. Stroke Of Genius (3.57)

6. Plant Your Garden (2.12)

7. Stroke By Stroke (2.45) Excellent Track

8. Breaking The Rules (2.27)

9. Art Of This Century (1.04)

10. The Look (2.45)

11. A Life's Work (1.27) Excellent Track

12. Empty (2.42)

13. A Letter From Lee (1.52)

14. The World Keeps Turning: Tom Waits (4.14)

15. Unfinished (4.08)

16. The Mural Goes On And On (2.41)

17. She Played The Banjo (4.31)

Total Length: 44.41

The use of artwork or photos is posted for non profitable reasons