Film-Related Jazz Recordings

[Mark Stryker]

Gang --

For an upcoming "Jazz and Film" issue of Jazz Times magazine, I'm going to devote my Chronology column to the best jazz recordings related to a film. I'm not looking for the best jazz soundtracks or the best use of jazz in a film. I'm looking for records that in some way come out of or are related to a film but stand with the best recordings an artist or band ever made. Records that truly stand alone outside of their film context: For example:

Sonny Rollins, "Alfie"

John Lewis/MJQ, "Odds Against Tomorrow" (or "Patterns" as the recording was known domestically)

Duke Ellington, "Anatomy of a Murder."

Miles Davis, "Jack Johnson" 

I thought I'd throw open the floor to nominations to generate a bigger pool to consider than I might come up with on my own. So, any thoughts?

 

Edited January 24, 2022 by Mark Stryker

[Chuck Nessa]

[Mark Stryker]

5 minutes ago, Chuck Nessa said:

Excellent, thanks. 

Keep 'em coming folks ...

[ghost of miles]

Freddie Redd's Music From The Connection with Jackie McLean on Blue Note--does that qualify?  I know The Connection began as a play, but both Redd and McLean also appeared in the film version that shortly followed.

Btw there's a Night Lights show coming up in late February that pairs Odds Against Tomorrow and Anatomy Of A Murder--part of a series I'm starting on Black jazz composers in Hollywood.

Edited January 24, 2022 by ghost of miles

[Dmitry]

Miles Davis - Ascenseur Pour l'Échafaud aka Lift to the Gallows

James Newton Howard, et al - Glengarry Glen Ross (one of personal favorites)

MJQ - The Modern Jazz Quartet Plays One Never Knows (Original Film Score For “No Sun In Venice”)

Jimmy Smith ‎– La Métamorphose Des Cloportes

 

 

Edited January 24, 2022 by Dmitry

[medjuck]

I Want to Live

The Sweet Smell of Success

The Man with the Golden Arm

[clifford_thornton]

Marion Brown "Le Temps Fou" (soundtrack for Marcel Camus' Un Été Sauvage) 

[Mark Stryker]

13 hours ago, ghost of miles said:

Freddie Redd's Music From The Connection with Jackie McLean on Blue Note--does that qualify?  I know The Connection began as a play, but both Redd and McLean also appeared in the film version that shortly followed.

Btw there's a Night Lights show coming up in late February that pairs Odds Against Tomorrow and Anatomy Of A Murder--part of a series I'm starting on Black jazz composers in Hollywood.

Yeah, a little conflicted  about whether this qualifies -- because the music was originally written for the play and because the recording was released in 1960, a full year before the film premiered. Musically, of course, it's a masterpiece, but I also wrote about it in depth in my inaugural Chronology column last summer.

[sgcim]

"Mickey-One" had tons of outstanding Getz on a superb score by Eddie Sauter. I even taped the best parts of Getz' playing on my VCR,and then duped it on to disc.

Some of it is as good as "Focus", and uses the same approach of Getz improvisation over Sauter's great writing.

It took me a long time to find this one, but Perry Blackwell led an organ trio and sang in the 1964 film "Dead Ringer", in which she was featured several times in Bette Davis' cocktail lounge.

"A Man Called Adam" had some of the best trumpet playing by Nat Adderly (ghosted by Sammy Davis Jr.) I've ever heard, and SDJ himself performs a beautiful ballad that was written by Benny Carter.

Mingus was renowned for the Bass and Drum solo in his score for Cassavettes' "Shadows".

Plas Johnson is strongly identified with The Pink Panther (1963) series of films.

"The Gauntlet" opens up with a long, slow blues, with a screeching trumpet solo by Jon Faddis which is among the best playing he ever did. Art Pepper also joins in.

[felser]

Edited January 25, 2022 by felser

[JSngry]

Second for "Mickey One", especially within the film, which is really great, imo.