Film/TV Scores by Jazz Musicians

[Teasing the Korean]

I was talking with a friend who shares my love for jazz, adventurous arranging, interesting ensemble configurations, and film scores from the 1950s-1970s.

As many of you know, a number of jazz arrangers went on to have careers scoring films and/or TV shows. These would include Pete Rugolo, Lalo Schifrin, Don Ellis, Q, Oliver Nelson, Gil Melle, and many others. Some are more well-known for their jazz work; others became more well-known for film scoring.

We were talking about these specialty film score labels that do limited edition CD runs of film/TV scores. He lamented that the releases by the aforementioned crowd tend not to sell that many copies, as compared to limited edition releases by the likes of Jerry Goldsmith, John Williams, etc., that sell out quickly. He mentioned one release - I think an Oliver Nelson - that sold ridiculously few copies.

I suggested that maybe these labels didn't do a good enough job of marketing to audiences that are more jazz-oriented. He replied that hard-core jazz fans - whoever they may be in 2009 - feel that these releases sound too much like "film music" and not enough like "pure jazz." I responded that many of the jazz/symphonic/experimental hybrids that were occurring in film music during the period that I referenced were very much aligned with the general direction of jazz orchestration in the post-bop period. There are jazz albums from this period that sound like film scores, and vice-versa. I did admit, though, that because of the high price tags on these limited edition releases, a buyer may be more inclined to buy straight jazz albums by these artists at lower prices. That's just a guess on my part - I have no idea how much you guys spend on LPs or CDs.

Honestly, all of the insatiable jazz freaks I've known have pretty adventurous taste in music. They love jazz but they are not purists by any long stretch.

So I thought I'd ask this question to members of jazz-centric online community: Do you tend to avoid film or TV scores by jazz artists you like? Is the music not jazzy enough? Are these simply additional releases competing with other stuff you want? Do you not differentiate? Do you specifically seek out film/TV scores done by these artists to see how they handle these kinds of assignments?

Thanks for indulging me.

[Chuck Nessa]

I usually go to a film oblivious to the score. I have only bought a couple of recordings. Music dictates music purchases and story/director/cast dictate film viewing.

[JSngry]

It can be anything from a creative challenge to a hack-whore job. I like to listen to see which is which, and everything in-between.

The functionality of a score make it very seldom "pure" or "real" jazz, but oh well about that. A lot of alleged "real" or "pure" jazz isn't either. If anything, the problem I find with "jazz" scores that actually try to be an underscore score rather than a soundtrack of songs is the apparent inability to let go of the song form.

You know what one of the most interesting "jazz scores" out there is? The first part of They Saved Hitler's Brain, the part they filmed later and added on to the first. Kinda sounds like Paul Bley on Rhodes or something.

In the end, it's just another way & reason to make music, so....why not?

[Jazzmoose]

I tend not to buy scores. The only thing I have is a set of 78s of the original cast doing Oklahoma that I've never even heard. I just bought it in a thrift store because "it was cool". The idea of this item being cool shows exactly how out of it I am, I suppose...

[Teasing the Korean]

I tend not to buy scores. The only thing I have is a set of 78s of the original cast doing Oklahoma that I've never even heard. I just bought it in a thrift store because "it was cool". The idea of this item being cool shows exactly how out of it I am, I suppose...

Thanks. But I'm talking instrumental underscores, not musicals.

I said "jazz," but I never said "jazz hands."

[Rooster_Ties]

Any opinions of this one??

>>

<< Edited August 18, 2009 by Rooster_Ties

[jlhoots]

I've always liked the music from I Want To Live & Peter Gunn.

Is that what you mean??

[mellowT]

From the first time I watched Woody Allen's Hannah And Her Sisters, I was enraptured by the score and quickly sought the soundtrack album. Alas, one was never produced.

[Jim R]

From the first time I watched Woody Allen's Hannah And Her Sisters, I was enraptured by the score and quickly sought the soundtrack album. Alas, one was never produced.

This was released on both LP and on CD.

This was not an original score, but a collection of standards arranged/played by pianist Dick Hyman.

Edited August 18, 2009 by Jim R

[Rooster_Ties]

Used to have a copy of this, no idea what I did with it, wish I still had it...

Heck of a line-up, and at least a few tunes that live up to that line-up (as best I can remember)...

Joe Chambers -- Percussion, Drums, Glockenspiel, Bells

Stanley Cowell -- Piano

Ronnie Dyson -- Vocals

Virgil Jones -- Trumpet, Flugelhorn

Bill Lee -- Bass, Arranger, Producer

Harold Vick -- Sax (Soprano), Sax (Tenor)

Cedar Walton -- Piano

Kenny Washington -- Drums

[mellowT]

From the first time I watched Woody Allen's Hannah And Her Sisters, I was enraptured by the score and quickly sought the soundtrack album. Alas, one was never produced.

This was released on both LP and on CD.

This was not an original score, but a collection of standards arranged/played by pianist Dick Hyman.

Thanks, Jim, but yes, I was referring to the original score. Little did I didn't know it at the time, but most--if not all--the tunes were remakes of famous ones from days gone by. I got hooked on the remakes and haven't been able to find them on CD.

[alocispepraluger102]

the forgotten score to mickey one by eddie sauter and stan getz(just slightly post focus) was a pure delight for me for many decades, and the cryptic movie was equally splendid.

some of stan's happiest and most sensitive playing............ it was apparently recorded after stan's father's death. that may have had something to do with the beauty.

the mickey polka is something that not easily leaves the head.

[crisp]

From the first time I watched Woody Allen's Hannah And Her Sisters, I was enraptured by the score and quickly sought the soundtrack album. Alas, one was never produced.

This was released on both LP and on CD.

This was not an original score, but a collection of standards arranged/played by pianist Dick Hyman.

Thanks, Jim, but yes, I was referring to the original score. Little did I didn't know it at the time, but most--if not all--the tunes were remakes of famous ones from days gone by. I got hooked on the remakes and haven't been able to find them on CD.

As with most of Allen's films, the music was drawn from existing recordings (in this case by the likes of Harry James, Count Basie and Roy Eldridge), with some new solo piano recordings (by Dick Hyman and Derek Smith) for those scenes when Lloyd Nolan was miming playing the piano. There's also the odd "live" performance where the likes of Bobby Short or Carrie Fisher sing.

You can piece together much of the "found" score on various CDs, such as the Harry James comp Trumpet Blues, and some of the new piano pieces were on the LP already mentioned, along with Basie et al. There's a rough list of what was used here.

This film is a favourite of mine and one of the reasons I became a jazz fan (and a Woody Allen fan).

Edited August 18, 2009 by crisp