El Paso Jazz--Attn: JSngry

[Hoppy T. Frog]

So there's this movie, "Manos" The Hands of Fate, that was filmed in El Paso ca. 1966. Its lurid atmosphere and technical incompetence combine to make it one weird mama-jama of a film.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UdBchFDwWY0

It has the most amazing jazz piano quartet soundtrack, credited to "Ross Huddleston and Robert Smith Jr." Much ink (or pixels) has been spilled researching the making of the movie, but no source ever mentions the amazing soundtrack, or who those guys are. The saxophonist (who doubles on flute) definitely has a Coltrane thing going, but there's also some bossa nova and torch singing by an uncredited singer. Does anyone know? JSngry, have you every heard of these guys?

[JSngry]

Before my time of activity by about a decade, but I've heard the name Russ Huddleston a few times, maybe in conjunction with jingle work of the 70s.

That does look to be one weirdass movie!

[B. Goren.]

During my military service I spent 1 year in El-Paso, Texas (Fort Bliss, to be more accurate). Since then, I have a soft spot for this place.

[Joe]

So there's this movie, "Manos" The Hands of Fate, that was filmed in El Paso ca. 1966. Its lurid atmosphere and technical incompetence combine to make it one weird mama-jama of a film.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UdBchFDwWY0

It has the most amazing jazz piano quartet soundtrack, credited to "Ross Huddleston and Robert Smith Jr." Much ink (or pixels) has been spilled researching the making of the movie, but no source ever mentions the amazing soundtrack, or who those guys are. The saxophonist (who doubles on flute) definitely has a Coltrane thing going, but there's also some bossa nova and torch singing by an uncredited singer. Does anyone know? JSngry, have you every heard of these guys?

Thanks for the reminder re: MANOS. My recollection of the film's score is foggy, but I'm curious to revisit.

Anything I know about this film I owe to MST3K, which made MANOS the subject of one of their all-time most memorable episodes.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9AJVZuQuD6M&

(Also, if you've never seen what they do to a little exploitation film called THE BEATNIKS...)

[flat5]

It amazes me how little respect music receives in movies & TV.

Only big names (occasionally) get credit. Why the musician's union allows this is a mystery to me.

Can someone inform me why this is so?

It seems every crew member gets a mention but a trumpet might be featured over and over during the movie but will receive no mention in the credits. There are exceptions but almost always it will be a small "independent" movie.

I understand it may be impractical to list all the musicians for every movie but in many cases this would not be so.

[Ted O'Reilly]

It amazes me how little respect music receives in movies & TV.

Only big names (occasionally) get credit. Why the musician's union allows this is a mystery to me.

Can someone inform me why this is so?

It seems every crew member gets a mention but a trumpet might be featured over and over during the movie but will receive no mention in the credits. There are exceptions but almost always it will be a small "independent" movie.

I understand it may be impractical to list all the musicians for every movie but in many cases this would not be so.

You're right... One of the few films to give that kind of credit (that I recall) is the 1972 Peter Yates film The Hot Rock. A great 'guy movie' (as opposed to a 'chick flick') the music is by Quincy Jones, but a lot of it was improvised by a little jazz group. The band includes Clark Terry, Frank Rosolino, Jerome Richardson, Gerry Mulligan, Clare Fischer, Ray Brown and Grady Tate. They get actual on-screen credits at the film's end.

Was it Uan Rasey who played the wonderful trumpet parts in Chinatown? Did he get a credit? Should have: the trumpet is one of the characters in that film...

Edit to add: The soundtrack -- I have it on vinyl -- was issued on Prophesy Records SD 6055 (a division of Landers/Roberts, Inc., distributed by Atlantic).

Edited July 23, 2012 by Ted O'Reilly

[Matthew]

So there's this movie, "Manos" The Hands of Fate, that was filmed in El Paso ca. 1966. Its lurid atmosphere and technical incompetence combine to make it one weird mama-jama of a film.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UdBchFDwWY0

It has the most amazing jazz piano quartet soundtrack, credited to "Ross Huddleston and Robert Smith Jr." Much ink (or pixels) has been spilled researching the making of the movie, but no source ever mentions the amazing soundtrack, or who those guys are. The saxophonist (who doubles on flute) definitely has a Coltrane thing going, but there's also some bossa nova and torch singing by an uncredited singer. Does anyone know? JSngry, have you every heard of these guys?

Thanks for the reminder re: MANOS. My recollection of the film's score is foggy, but I'm curious to revisit.

Anything I know about this film I owe to MST3K, which made MANOS the subject of one of their all-time most memorable episodes.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9AJVZuQuD6M&

(Also, if you've never seen what they do to a little exploitation film called THE BEATNIKS...)

Hey! Thanks for the link, I had no idea that full episodes of MST3K were on Youtube.

[slide_advantage_redoux]

I can't believe I sat here and watched this in its entirety.

Bizarre, but the soundtrack was mesmorizing.

[Ted O'Reilly]

mesmorizing.

If that's a neologism, I like it! Kind of like remembering being hypnotized, even when they tell you to forget you were hypnotized.

Or, maybe it's just a typo.

[JSngry]

It's a typoe.

[slide_advantage_redoux]

Yepp

[Hoppy T. Frog]

Before my time of activity by about a decade, but I've heard the name Russ Huddleston a few times, maybe in conjunction with jingle work of the 70s.

That does look to be one weirdass movie!

Thanks, that gives me at least something to go on. I think my life's work will be to give (musical) credit where it's due for this film.

[Rooster_Ties]

It's a typoe.

Finally, vindication!

[jeffcrom]

I watched this movie today. Wow.... Many of the bad things that have happened to me over the years seem kind of trivial now. "Manos" is just hilariously painful.

[JSngry]

Sherman Hemsley, an actor best known for his overbearing sitcom roles, notably the upwardly mobile and bigoted African American George Jefferson in the long-running show “The Jeffersons” and the egotistical minister in “Amen,”

has died in El Paso. He was 74.