Recently, Laurent wrote, "What are in your opinion the best
soundtracks
for PI shows ? And why does a certain style of jazz work so
well ? Is it
just a period feel ?"
I'm less interested in tv shows than the last two questions.
Perhaps, if
some others have interest, we could reflect on the role of
music, certain
kinds of music, or musicians in our favorite hard- boiled
novels and films?
Two thoughts: jazz, as separated somewhat from the blues, has
historically
been an urban music; furthermore it has been associated with
bars,
speakeasys, clubs, red light districts (Storyville) where
crime and
criminals thrive. Hence the gangster films of the 30s, later
to become
gangbusters' films, often had scenes in a club or speakeasy
which had a
show, often featuring a jazz band. Coppola's "Cotton Club,"
in a sense,
paid homage to these films. Later, as hard boiled fiction
"matured" in the
40s, film noir became a style and at about the same time,
bebop or "cool"
jazz played by combos became voguish. "The Phantom Lady"
(1944), from
Cornell Woolrich's novel, has both big band and small combo
scenes, with
Elisha Cook, Jr., memorably, as a drummer.
My second thought along these lines is that the "cool" or
minor key jazz of
the 40s-50s, with its isolated sax or trumpet solos, formed
an ideal
compliment for the solitary characters of the films made from
hard boiled
fiction. Certain singers could create this solitude too,
Billie Holiday
for instance. I like Duane's idea that spontaneous
improvisation also fits
with the improvised, instinctive actions of hard-boiled
protagonists. (And
band music, of necessity, always has a more "organized" feel
to it, even
when there are solos.)
I remember at least two noir titles from the 50s where the
jazz score was
inseparable from the action: "Odds Against Tomorrow" (John
Lewis score) and
"The Man With the Golden Arm" (Elmer Bernstein score).
Mancini brought
the big band back into noir-PI (if it had ever left), espec.
with his theme
for tv's "Peter Gunn," but at that point I think we're
getting a bit
soft-boiled and the music just driving big beat stuff,
adaptable to any
adventure.
Hope I haven't squashed the topic for everyone. (One note
leads to
another.) Others' thoughts on jazz, etc. in hard-boiled
fiction or film?
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