Thank goodness filmmakers have taken it upon themselves to celebrate the forgotten and unrecognized musical talents that have helped to create the soundtracks of our lives. The latest documentary to offer such illumination is The Wrecking Crew, director Denny Tedesco’s loving tribute to the session musicians known as “The Wrecking Crew” who laid down the instrumentals on tunes for legends such as Frank Sinatra, Glen Campbell, Nat “King” Cole and Simon & Garfunkel. Tedesco interviews many of the greats who remember the band — Herb Alpert, Lou Adler, Cher and Glen Campbell — but also draws upon archival footage of several others like Sonny Bono, The Association and The Beach Boys to capture the spirit of those high flying times, when the music played and everybody danced and sang along. (Now open at Esquire Theatre) (PG) Not screened in time for review
This article appears in Mar 11-17, 2015.