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In numerous ways, Tarzan is a fascinating score for Newman. Its generous album release offered listeners the first chance in many years to hear the composer unleash his adventure mode without restraint, and for those hoping for echoes of The Phantom and Galaxy Quest, they are to be heard in places. More interesting, however, is same transformation that Newman has made to accommodate the Hans Zimmer and John Powell mould of film scoring that Patrick Doyle was forced to make when he ventured into the modern franchise realm a few years prior. The success of these scores depends largely on the composer's ability to satisfy demands for the masculine Zimmer/Powell sound while also retaining enough of his original stylistic mannerisms, and, just like Doyle, Newman manages to pull it off admirably. There will be listeners who have little tolerance for Newman's adoption of more forceful bass elements and derivative references to a temp track in Tarzan, but in many cues (highlighted by "Reunion"), you can hear vintage Newman methods at their finest. One of the complaints made by some (certainly not all) Newman collectors in the 1990's was the composer's lack of "oomph." His scores tended to skimp on the bass region, leaving high choral, string, and brass elements to provide most of the personality of a score like The Phantom. In Tarzan, you still have Newman's prior incarnation at work, but it's layered with thunderous percussion, thumping electronic bass effects, and even an electric guitar. He emphasizes trombones in extraordinarily harsh, groaning ways in this work, using them as oppressive but resonating representations of villainous activity in successive staccato blasts (in phrases of two or three) similar to usage in Clinton Shorter's District 9. The choice of percussion for the jungle environment isn't too distinct from the composer's past works; it sounds different because of the rambling electronic bass accompaniment underneath. The electric guitar and cowbell combination in "Tarzan in Camp" is loads of fun, joined by the more frequently employed acoustic guitar, which figures most prominently in the upbeat "Growing Up." Choral applications are perfectly spread throughout the work to accentuate the fantasy element without becoming overbearing; Newman supplements his typical high range female voices with deep-throated male tones for the topic as needed.

The great balance of instrumentation in Tarzan is executed well by the Berlin session performers (the same group from Animals United), their vigorous interpretation of the composition absent any glaring errors. That result is made whole by Newman's highly tonal and melodic approach to the material, the composer utilizing a variety of unique motifs for certain situations in the story but also conjuring common phrases that he can rearrange into related but distinct themes on the fly. Contrary to some reviews contending that Tarzan lacks main themes, Newman offers two primary melodies and several offshoots based on certain progressions in those ideas. Perhaps some listeners become sidetracked by Newman's tendency to pass the phrases of the melodies between groups so that the performers handling the counterpoint line at any given point can sudden swap positions to take up the actual, underlying melody. The main theme for Tarzan is frequently conveyed after the character's coming of age, exploding at 0:26 into "Tarzan Climbs Tree" and recurring countless times thereafter in several emotional ranges. It is reduced to a solo horn at the start of "Jane and Dad" and expands to a whopping symphonic rendition at 0:17 into "Take Me to the Meteor," the latter featuring brass layers of pure Newman lineage. Restrained strings take the theme at 0:57 into "Kala is Shot," resilient horns answer with the idea at 1:21 into "Tarzan Mourns for Kala," and the conclusion of the "Finale" offers it in full fanfare mode. The most intriguing aspect of this theme is Newman's use of its first three notes (an alternating perfect fifth interval, as in C-G-C) and its second three notes (an ascending minor third, as in C-D-E flat); he sometimes reverses the order of these phrases to yield what may be a theme for the apes. At 1:22 and 3:08 into "Kala and Kerchal," you hear this reversal that foreshadows Tarzan's theme but in an alternate reality. In between those two performances, you hear the infancy of Tarzan's version of the melody on strings. If these choices were intentional by Newman, then they have to be praised, and perhaps more such subtle rearrangements exist throughout the score. On the first pass through the score on its lengthy album, it may seem to any listener that the various thematic moments are unconnected, but you'd be surprised by how many resort back to that ultra heroic and simplistic perfect fifth interval. It's quite appropriate for Tarzan when you think about it, and not too dissimilar from how Jerry Goldsmith handled Klingons.

Speaking of Goldsmith, the second major, recurring theme in Tarzan owes much to his legacy. Newman offers a love theme for the lead pair in "Tarzan," "Tarzan and Jane," "Tarzan and Jane in the Lake," and "Finale" that is absolutely saturated with Goldsmith's mannerisms and typical progressions, allowing for a string and woodwind sequence in "Tarzan and Jane in the Lake" that will make you think that Goldsmith is still alive and writing film music. Of the other remaining motifs in Tarzan, perhaps none is as engaging as the rising string rhythm previewed at 0:46 into "Tarzan Looks Beyond" but truly fleshed out with snare and mixed choir at 0:40 onto "Tarzan Mourns for Kala," an extended highlight of the work. Even here, however, as in the love theme, you hear a touch of yesteryear, the "Tarzan Mourns For Kala" sequence suggesting hints of John Barry romanticism. The one major detriment one could use against Newman in Tarzan is his occasional adherence too closely to a temp track, with portions of Zimmer, James Horner, and James Newton Howard peeking through at times. Rarely are they really obnoxious, because Newman manages to keep these references in the perimeter of focus, though film score veterans may be blindsided by the most obvious and immediate exception: the clear Howard tribute in "Prologue." On the whole, however, Tarzan is an extremely engaging and often affable score. The lovable portions, as in the literal symphonic bouncing throughout "Growing Up," are nicely balanced by the ballsy Andrew Lockington-like action in "Take Me to the Meteor" and "Detonation in 8 Minutes." You will see many listeners claim that the 68-minute presentation is too long, but given the quality of the music, that's plain nuts. What would you cut? Even if you exclude the slower parts, you still have an hour of solid material with little redundancy. The unrelated rock song at the end of the album has to be discarded despite the performer's valiant attempt to emulate Michael Stipe. The score's presentation is quite dry, so add some reverb to bolster the fantasy appeal. In an era when scoring by committee has become the norm, it's fantastic to see one man compose and conduct a score of this magnitude for a clearly crappy film. There is no doubt that Tarzan is among 2014's best hidden gems in the film music world, and anyone who skimmed through it and discarded it summarily needs to take more time to appreciate Newman's adherence to contemporary blockbuster norms (and associated influences) while remaining true to his own style. Be prepared for the surprise of the year.  *****   @Amazon.com: CD or Download

Bias Check:

For David Newman reviews at Filmtracks, the average editorial rating is 3.17 (in 12 reviews) and the average viewer rating is 3.25 (in 19,009 votes). The maximum rating is 5 stars.

Total Time: 73:33