Lennie Niehaus

American alto saxophonist on the West Coast jazz scene, arranger and composer for motion pictures.

Born June 11, 1929 in St. Louis, Missouri, US.

Died. May 28, 2020 in Redlands, California, US.

The son of a Russian immigrant, a violinist who moved the family to Los Angeles to work in the new talkies, Niehaus performed with the [a212786] big band, and other jazz groups in California. A longtime composer for [a550011]'s motion pictures, including "Bird" (1988), he first met Eastwood in basic Army training in 1952 at Fort Ord, CA after being drafted.