Album Reviews : *** 1/2 LENNIE NIEHAUS “Patterns” <i> Fresh Sound Import</i> : <i> Albums are rated on a scale of one star (poor) to five (a classic). : </i>

Niehaus, the respected movie music writer who first gained a name as a jazzman, took his alto sax out of mothballs for this, his first blowing date since the ‘50s. Of his seven originals, three were heard briefly in his score for Clint Eastwood’s “Bird.” Teamed with Bill Perkins on various saxes, Niehaus offers good, healthy, updated bebop, with a few arranging touches that avoid the rut of convention. Fine piano, too, by Frank Strazzeri.