Eastwood After Hours: Live at Carnegie Hall

Dirty Harry--jazz fan? Perhaps not, but the man who brought him to life sure is, as this 106-minute concert and tribute to Clint Eastwood makes apparent. As a director (and occasional pianist), Eastwood has made no secret of his passion for jazz, using it in films as diverse as Play Misty for Me, Unforgiven, The Bridges of Madison County, and of course Bird, his Charlie Parker biopic. In 1996 a stellar group of musicians, both veterans (pianists Kenny Barron and Jay McShann, singer Jimmy Scott, saxophonist Charles McPherson) and relative youngsters (saxophonist Joshua Redman, singer Kevin Mahogany, Eastwood's son Kyle on bass), assembled in New York to play the music and pay homage to the man. The repertoire is solid, the performances outstanding; but what really sets this program apart is its frequent but understated commingling of film clips with the music itself, to evocative, humorous, and entertaining effect. This one's a keeper. --Sam Graham