THE WAR, a seven-part series directed and produced by Ken Burns and Lynn Novick, tells the story of the Second World War through the personal accounts of a handful of men and women from four quintessentially American towns. The series explores the most intimate human dimensions of the greatest cataclysm in history – a worldwide catastrophe that touched the lives of every family on every street in every town in America – and demonstrates that in extraordinary times, there are no ordinary lives.
Ensemble | Multiple Ensembles |
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Release Date | September 11th, 2007 |
Recording Date | June 8, 2005 |
Record Label | Sony / Legacy |
Catalogue Number | 88697 10203 2 |
Formats | CD, Digital Download |
Genre | Jazz Recordings |
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Track | Length | Preview |
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American Anthem – Norah Jones | 5:07 | Play |
Walton, The Death of Falstaff – Leonard Slotkin & London Philharmonic Orchestra | 3:37 | Play |
The Wang Wang Blues – Benny Goodman Sextet | 2:52 | Play |
Movin’ Back – Wynton Marsalis (composer & arranger) | 2:47 | Play |
How Long Blues – Count Basie | 2:58 | Play |
In the Nick of time – Edgar Meyer, Joshua Bell, Sam Bush & Mike Marshall | 6:13 | Play |
It’s Been a Long, Long Time – Bing Crosby with Les Paul | 2:59 | Play |
America My Home (Excerpt) – Wynton Marsalis (composer & arranger) | 2:17 | Play |
If I could Be With You (One Hour Tonight) – Kay Starr, accompanied by the Capitol International Jazzmen | 2:48 | Play |
Blue As the Turquoise Night of Neyshabur (Excerpt) – Yo-Yo Ma & The Silk Road Ensemble | 15:37 | Play |
Until I’m In Your Arms Again – Wynton Marsalis | 2:41 | Play |
Variations For the Healing of Arinushka – Kalle Randalu | 5:10 | Play |
Basie Boogie – Count Basie & His Orchestra | 2:23 | Play |
Solitude – Duke Ellington & His Orchestra | 3:14 | Play |
Concerto for Clarinet, Strings, Harp and Piano (Excerpt) – Benny Goodman, Aaron Copland & Columbia Symphony Orchestra | 7:44 | Play |
If You Can’t Smile and Say Yes – The King Cole Trio | 2:34 | Play |
American Anthem – Amanda Forsyth & Bill Charlap | 1:46 | Play |
In the spring of 1945, as the war in Europe drew to a close, the CBS radio correspondent Eric Sevareid was troubled. He had been reporting on the fighting for four years, and had done his best to convey to his listeners back home all that he had seen and heard in Burma, France, Italy, and Germany. But he was haunted by the sense that he had failed. “Only the soldier really lives the war,” he told his audience.
The journalist does not…War happens inside a man…and that is why, in a certain sense, you and your sons from the war will be forever strangers. If, by the miracles of art and genius, in later years two or three among them can open their hearts and the right words come, then perhaps we shall all know a little of what it was like – and we shall know then that all the present speakers and writers hardly touch the story.
For the past six years, we have striven to create a documentary film series about the Second World War in that spirit. Ours has been, in part, a humbling attempt to understand “the things men do in war, and the things war does to them” (as Phil Caputo as aptly noted). We chose to explore the impact of the war on the lives of people living in four American towns – Mobile, Alabama; Sacramento, California; Waterbury, Connecticut; and Luverne, Minnesota. Over the course of the film’s nearly fifteen hours more than forty men and women opened their hearts to us about the war they knew – and which we, their inheritors, could only imagine.
Above all, we wanted to honor the experiences of those who lived through the greatest cataclysm in human history by providing the opportunity for them to bear witness to their own history. Our film is therefore an attempt to describe, through their eyewitness testimony, what the war was actually like for those who served on the front lines, in places where the killing and dying took place, and equally what it was like for their loved ones back home. We have done our best not to sentimentalize, glorify, or aestheticize the war, but instead have tried to simply tell the stories of those who did the fighting – and of their families. In so doing, we have tried to illuminate the intimate, human dimensions of a global catastrophe that took the lives of between 50 and 60 million people – of whom more than 400,000 were Americans. Through the eyes of our witnesses, it is possible to see the universal in the particular, to understand how the whole country got caught up in the war; how the four towns and their people were permanently transformed; how those who remained at home worked and worried and grieved in the face of the struggle; and in the end, how innocent young men who had been turned into professional killers eventually learned to live in a world without war.
Over the course of seven episodes, we spend a great deal of time in battles – on the ground, in the air, and at sea, in Europe and the Pacific – examining in countless ways and from many perspectives, what one of our witnesses, Paul Fussell, described as “the real war.” “The rest of it,” he told us, “is just the show biz war. The real war involves getting down there and killing people. And being killed yourself or just barely escaping it. And it gives you attitudes about life and death that are unattainable anywhere else.” Throughout the series one theme has stayed constant, one idea has continually emerged as we have gotten to know the brave men and women whose stories it has been our privilege to tell: in extraordinary times, there are no ordinary lives.
The music we chose for the film, and for this soundtrack, is an essential element in our attempt to tell the story of the war. Each composition, each recording, helped us breathe life into old photographs and archival footage, added resonance to the testimonies of our witnesses. Time and again we found that footage and photographs, however graphic, and words, however eloquent, could not alone do justice to the magnitude of the war’s devastations, could not fully convey the barbarity, bravery, depravity, resilience, and generosity of spirit that the conflict evoked in the millions of human beings who were touched by it. Again and again, we found that music – freshly created for our film as well as true to the period and gleaned from sources all across the world – helped us immeasurably in trying to describe the indescribable and express the inexpressible.
The incomparable Wynton Marsalis generously agreed to compose and help perform a number of pieces especially for us. Thanks to him, the Americans in our film go to war accompanied by strains suffused with the music that best expresses our country’s grief and tragedy, joy and triumph – the blues.
In addition to his own brilliant trumpet, these luminous tracks are graced with the artistry of Victor Goines, Walter Blanding, Jr., Carlos Henriquez, Ali Jackson, Mark O’Connor, Bill Charlap, and Doug Wamble, whose keening otherworldly slide guitar on “Movin’ Back” touches something deep and unutterable in all of us. With “Until I’m In Your Arms Again,” Wynton gave us a ballad that feels utterly contemporary, yet also embodies the bittersweet yearning of the war years.
In selecting music from the 20th Century’s classical repertoire for the series, we looked for pieces that were either composed during, or inspired by, the war. The composition we used more than any other in the series, Sir William Walton’s haunting, dirge-like “The Death of Falstaff: Two Pieces for Strings” (written in England, during the Blitz, for Laurence Olivier’s film Henry V¸ which premiered in London in November of 1944), seems to signify both the enormity of the war’s tragedy, and the intimacy of the suffering borne by individuals around the globe. Aaron Copland’s lyrical “Concerto for Clarinet & Strings Orchestra,” commissioned by clarinetist Benny Goodman soon after the war, is simultaneously melancholy and hopeful, reflecting the many conflicting emotions the war fostered, particularly on the American home front. Estonian composer Arvo Pärt was a child during the war and grew up under the ensuing Soviet domination of his homeland. His minimalist “Variations for the Healing of Arinushka,” with its spare, plaintive melody, conjures for us the anxiety that attended the period.
The joyous big band swing tunes of the 1940s – such as Goodman’s “The Wang Wang Blues,” Count Basie’s “Basie Boogie,” Kay Starr’s “If I Could Be With You” – reminded millions of soldiers of home, and buoyed the spirits of the nation throughout the war’s long years. Distributed to the troops via V-Discs, broadcast overseas on Armed Forces Radio, and danced to at USO halls across the country, this irrepressible music became the soundtrack of the era, the embodiment of the quintessentially American spirit of affirmation in the face of adversity. Romantic ballads, too, dominated the airwaves during the war, and none affected us more than Bing Crosby’s rendition of “It’s Been A Long, Long Time,” which attests so poignantly to the prolonged separations experienced by millions of couples, as well as servicemen and their families, during the conflict.
Two virtuosic contemporary classical musicians also enhanced our soundtrack enormously – cellist Yo-Yo Ma and bassist Edgar Meyer. Ma’s recording of Kayhan Kahlor’s “Blue as the Turquoise Night of Neyshabur,” made with the Silk Road Ensemble, fuses the sounds of Western stringed instruments with tabla drums of India and lutes of the Middle East. The sense of foreboding and mystery that pervades this piece amplified and intensified some of the film’s darkest moments. Edgar Meyer’s propulsive “In the Nick of Time” animated some of the film’s most significant action scenes, particularly the crossing of the English Channel on June 6, 1944 – D-Day.
One contemporary tune, Gene Scheer’s “American Anthem,” became a touchstone that we returned to again and again, a reflection of the complex sentiments in our witnesses’ heartfelt testimonies. Norah Jones’s beautiful rendition of the song gave us the opportunity to hear Scheer’s affecting lyrics, which seem to give voice to the sacrifice, selflessness, and bravery of those we have tried to honor, the men and women who fought and won that necessary war on our behalf.
All we’ve been given by those who came before,
The dream of a nation where freedom would endure.
The work and prayers of centuries have brought us to this day.
What shall be our legacy, what will our children say?
Let them say of me I was one who believed in sharing the blessings I received.
Let me know in my heart when my days are through,
America, America, I gave my best to you.
Each generation from the plains to distant shores,
With the gifts they were given were determined to leave more.
Battles fought together, acts of conscience fought alone,
These are the seeds from which America has grown.
Let them say of me I was one who believed
In sharing the blessings that I received.
Let me know in my heart when my days are through,
America, America, I gave my best to you.
For those who think they have nothing to share,
Who feel in their hearts there is no hero there,
Though each quiet act of dignity is that which fortifies,
The soul of a nation, that will never die.
Let them say of me I was one who believed
In sharing the blessings I received.
Let me know in my heart when my days are through,
America, America, I gave my best to you.
America, I gave my best to you.
(“American Anthem,” words and music by Gene Scheer, as sung by Norah Jones for The War)
Songs composed by Wynton Marsalis:
4.MOVIN’ BACK
Wynton Marsalis composer & arranger
Doug Wamble, guitar;
Carlos Henriquez, bass;
Ali Jackson, drums;
Bill Charlap, piano.
Previously unreleased performance.
Produced by Delfeayo Marsalis & Ken Burns.
Wynton Marsalis & Bill Charlap appear by permission of Blue Note Records.
Doug Wamble appears by permission of Marsalis Music/Rounder Records.
Recorded for Florentine Films and engineered by James Nichols at Right Track Studio, New York, 8th June 2005
® 2007 Skayne’s Music
8. AMERICA MY HOME (EXCERPT, Luyeme Movement)
Wynton Marsalis composer & arranger
Amancia Forsyth, cello;
Bill Charlap, piano.
Previously unreleased performance.
Produced by Delfeayo Marsalis & Ken Bums.
Wynton Marsalis & Bill Charlap appear by permission of Blue Note Records.
Recorded for Florentine Films and engineered by James Nichols at Right Track Studio, New York, 8th June 2005
© 2007 Skayne’s Music
11. UNTIL I’M YOUR IN ARMS AGAIN (W.Marsalis)
Wynton Marsalis, trumpet;
Mark O’Connor, violin;
Bill Charlap, piano;
Doug Wamble, guitar;
Victor Goines, saxophone;
Carlos Henriquez, bass;
Ali Jackson, drums.
Previously unreleased performance.
Produced by Delfeayo Marsalis & Ken Burns.
Wynton Marsalis & Bill Charlap appear by permission of Blue Note Records.
Doug Wamble appears by permission of Marsalis Music/Rounder Records.
Recorded for Florentine Films and engineered by James Nichols at Right Track Studio, New York, 23rd December 2005
® 2007 Skayne’s Music
Produced by Ken Burns, Lynn Novick, Sarah Botstein & Delfeayo Marsalis
Produced for CD by Steve Berkowitz & Duncan Allardyce
Project Managers: Sarah Botstein, Lisa Buckler, Jessica Lizzio, Roseann Rizzo, Matt Stringer & Tony Ward
Digital Mastering: Vic Anesini, Rob Luverde & Maria Triana at Sony BMG Music Studios, N.Y.
A&R Coordination: Sarah Botstein, Erik Ewers & Dave Mast
Art Direction: Howard Fritzson
Design: Phil Yarnall for Smay Design
Photography: pg 2-3,12, and inside spine sheet: courtesy of the National Archives; pgs 4-5, 7, and 11: Daniel J. White
Archival Photo Research: David McMahon
Thanks to: Jennifer Bennett Alien, Lisa Andracke, Vie Anesini, Stacey Bain, Paul Barnes, Lynne Barrow, Pam Tubridy Baucom, Lori Blackstone, Adam Block, Michael Block, Leon Botstein, Elle Carrière, Tom Cording, Christopher Darling, Joe DePlasco, Didier Deutsch, Dave Donovan, Tom Evered, Kyle Fay, Michelle Findlay, Chuck Fleckenstein, Anthony Fountain, Alex Gatje, Ryan Gifford, Robert Gold, Brenda Heath, Zach Hochkeppel, Jeremy Holiday, John Ingrassia, Jeff Jones, Laura Kszan, Jim Kelly, Matt Kelly, Mark Kirkeby, Glenn Korman, Howard Lau, Patty Lawlor, Mary Levitan, Bruce Lundvall, Natalie Marguilies, Patti Matheny, Alex Miller, Peter Miller, Eric Molk, Shannon Mueller, Mike Panico, Vicki Petrella, Gene Scheer, Jeffrey Schulberg, Stuart Silfen, Michele Singer, Tom Tierney, John Carlo Vernile, Jennifer Rudolph Walsh, Geoffrey C. Ward, Marc Weinbach, Daniel J. White
Bill Charlap, Norah Jones and Wynton Marsalis appear courtesy of Blue Note Records
Doug Wamble appears courtesy of Marsalis Records / Rounder Records
Exclusive Personal and Financial Management for Wynton Marsalis by The Management Ark, Inc.
Edward C. Arrendell
Project Legal Counsel for Wynton Marsalis and The Management Ark, Inc.
M. Jalali Hassan
Staff for Wynton Marsalis Enterprises
Genevieve Sansom Stewart, Vice President; Isobel Allen-Floyd, Project Manager; Jonathan Kelly, Music Transcription
Worldwide Management for Norah Jones
Macklam/Feldman Management, Inc.
Florentine Films Music Legal Counsel: Law Office of Valerle Marcus, LLC.
The War is a production of Florentine Films and WETA-TV, Washington, DC.
Corporate funding provided by General Motors, Anheuser-Busch and Bank of America.
Major funding provided by Lilly Endowment, Inc.; Public Broadcasting Service; National Endowment for the Humanities; the Corporation for Public Broadcasting; The Arthur Vining Davis Foundations; The Pew Charitable Trusts; Longaberger Foundation and Park Foundation, Inc.
A Ken Burns Film
Directed and Produced by KEN BURNS and LYNN NOVICK
Written by GEOFFREY C. WARD
Produced by SARAH BOTSTEIN
Co-Producers PETER MILLER, DAVID McMAHON
Supervising Rim Editori PAUL BARNES
Episode Editors: PAUL BARNES, ERIK EWERS, TRICIA REIDY
Cinematography BUDDY SQUIRES
Narrated by KEITH DAVID
With: TOM HANKS, JOSH LUCAS, SAMUEL L. JACKSON, BOBBY CANNAVALE, ELI WALLACH, ADAM ARKIN, KEVIN CONWAY,REBECCA HOLTZ, CAROLYN MCCORMICK, ROBERT WAHLBERG
Consulting Producer: DAYTON DUNCAN
Original Music Composed and Arranged by WYNTON MARSALIS
“AMERICAN ANTHEM”
Maste and Lyrics: GENE SCHEER
Performed by: NORAH JONES