Jazz For The Screen ★ Elmer Bernstein

 "Jazz in the Movies" Collection
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Elmer Bernstein
The Music From "Staccato"
and
The Music From "The Man With The Golden Arm"

No need to worry too much about the origins of these two sessions. Although composed and played specifically for a movie and a television series, the jazz shines through and most of it will stand as music for just listening to under any circumstances. The first session, made for the Johnny Staccato television programmes featuring a jazz loving private tec, features some striking trumpet solo work throughout by Pete Candoli. A small group within the big orchestral setting plays several tracks with typical trumpet and sax solos supported by rhythm section. "The Jazz At Waldo's" is a standout piece, as you might expect; jazz-club swinging stuff this, with Shelly Manne prominent in the rhythm section and as soloist. "One Before Closing" and "MacDougal Street Special" come across very well as small-group jazz combo selections with Kessel and Candoli playing crisply in solo.

Slightly less interesting is the atmospheric music composed by Bernstein for the Golden Arm film, which readers of a certain age will remember as a feature for Frank Sinatra and Kim Novak. Sweeping strings underline some of the sad moments in the movie and the dramatic ones have the theme blasting out in heavily accented chords. Manne is once again heavily featured, playing well as he provides the drum sounds and pulsing syncopation of the main theme to emphasise the main characters ambition to become a jazz drummer. The theme is catchy and will bring back memories of the film as it appeared in the 1950s. Shorty Rogers has some good moments on flugel, Manne is all over the score from beginning to end and the central "Clark Street" theme is memorable if only because it repeats so often it becomes ingrained in the brain! This is two LPs on one CD but if in any doubt I would suggest it is a good buy for the Johnny Staccato music alone.

*Derek Ansell (Jazz Journal)*

A few months ago, I stumbled across some very cool soundtracks from 60s Juvenile Delinquent movies such as College Confidential and Crime in the Streets that had guys like Maynard Ferguson and Conte Condoli in the studios delivering some wonderfully moody and hip sounds. The Spanish reissue label Fresh Sound Records just put out a couple more of these delights, and theyre even better!

This CD has music conducted and composed by Elmer Bernstein, the man who gave us the famous Great Escape and Magnificent Seven theme songs. This time, he goes deeper into the darkness with arrangements by West Coast cooler Shorty Rogers and delivers the definitive 50s sounds on the definitive 50s jazz movie, The Man With The Golden Arm, which included a stellar performance by Frank Sinatra. The band is completely all star: Shorty Rogers, the Condoli Brothers, Buddy Childers, Frank Rosolino, Bob Cooper, Jimmy Giuffre, Pete Jolly, Lou Levy and Shelly Mann are just a sampling of the names that blow dry winds on tunes such as "Frankie Machine" and "The Fix". The unforgettable theme song weaves in and out of many of the tunes, and since Sinatra is playing the role of a drummer, Manne gets to be spotlighted in order to display just how stylish and versatile he was.

Johnny Staccato, which featured John Cassavettes, was just as sinister, with the likes of Red Mitchell, Larry Bunker, Barney Kessel and Milt Bernhart in an orchestra that is the music version of film noir on "Night Mood" and "Walk a Lonely Street". This stuff needs to be revised by todays cats! *George W. Harris (jazzweekly.com)*

Music from "Staccato"

Elmer Bernstein

(Originally issued on Capitol ST1287)

1 - Staccato's Theme 

2 - Thinking Of Baby 

3 - Poi and Juice 

4 - Night Mood 

5 - Deadly Game 

6 - The Jazz At Waldo's 

7 - Greenwich Village Rumble 

8 - Like Having Fun 

9 - One Before Closing 

10 - Walk a Lonely Street 

11 - MacDougal Street Special 

12 - Pursuit

(All compositions by Elmer Bernstein)

Elmer Bernstein (conductor)

#1, #2, #5, #7:

Don Fagerquist, Pete Candoli, Uan Rasey, Conrad Gozzo (trumpets);

Ted Nash, Ronny Lang (alto saxes); Gene Cipriano, Dave Pell (tenor saxes);

Marty Ruderman, Sylvia Ruderman (flutes); George Roberts (bass trombone);

Milt Bernhart, Dick Nash, Joe Howard (trombones); Chuck Gentry (baritone sax);

Vince De Rosa, Dick Perissi (french horns); Philip Stephens (tuba);

John T. Williams (piano); Barney Kessel (guitar); Bob Bain (rhythm guitar);

Red Mitchell (bass); Shelly Manne (drums); Lou Singer (percussion).

#4, #8, #10, #12:

Pete Candoli, Don Fagerquist (trumpets); Ted Nash (alto sax);

Gene Cipriano (tenor sax); Dick Nash, Si Zentner (trombones);

}John T. Williams (piano); Larry Bunker (vibes); Barney Kessel (guitar);

Bob Bain (rhythm guitar); Red Mitchell (bass); Shelly Manne (drums).

#3, #6, #9, #11:

Pete Candoli (trumpet), John T. Williams (piano), Larry Bunker (vibes),

Barney Kessel (guitar), Red Mitchell (bass), Shelly Manne (drums).

Recorded at Capitol Tower Studio "B" Hollywood, California,

August 4, August 5 and August 8, 1959

Music from "The Man With The Golden Arm"

Elmer Bernstein

(Originally issued on Decca DL78257)

13 - Clark Street: 

• The Hop

• Homecoming

• Antek's 

14 - Zosh 

15 - Frankie Machine 

16 - The Fix 

17 - Molly 

18 - Breakup:

• Fight

• Louie's

• Burlesque

19 - Sunday Morning 

20 - Desperation 

21 - Audition 

22 - The Cure:

• Withdraw

• Cold

• Morning 

23 - Finale

(All compositions by Elmer Bernstein)

Elmer Bernstein (conductor)

#13, #15, #16, #18 (Louie's)

Elmer Bernstein Jazz Orchestra:

Pete Candoli, Conte Candoli, Ray Linn, Buddy Childers (trumpets);

Shorty Rogers (flugelhorn); Milt Bernhart, Frank Rosolino, Harry Betts,

Ray Sims, Jimmy Henderson, Al Henderson, George Roberts (trombones);

Dick Perissi (french horn); Bud Shank (alto sax, flute); Jerome Kasper (alto sax);

Bob Cooper (tenor sax, flute, oboe); Jack Montrose (tenor sax);

Jimmy Giuffre (clarinet, baritone sax); Sam Rice (tuba); Chauncey Haines (novachord);

Pete Jolly, Lou Levy (pianos); Ralph Peña (bass);

Shelly Manne (drums); Milt Holland, Lee Previn (percussion).   

#14, #17, #18 (Fight), #19, #20, #22, #23

Elmer Bernstein Sympfony Orchestra:

Bob Fleming, Cecil Read (trumpets); Joe Eger, Fred Fox (french horns);

Martin Ruderman, Sylvia Ruderman (flutes); Mitchell Lurie, Nick Fera (clarinets);

Arnold Koblenz (oboe); Jerome Kasper (alto sax);

Jack Marsh, Fowler Friedlander (bassons); Anatol Kaminsky (violin);

Armand Kaproff (cello); Abe Luboff, Peter Mercurio (basses);

Ray Turner (piano); Shelly Manne (drums);

plus

11 violins, 3 violas, and 2 cellos (all unidentified).

#18 (Burlesque):

Bud Shank (alto sax), Pete Jolly (piano), Shelly Manne (drums).   

#21

Shorty Rogers and His Giants:

Ray Linn, Pete Candoli, Conte Candoli, Buddy Childers (trumpets); 

Shorty Rogers (flugelhorn); Milt Bernhart, Harry Betts, Frank Rosolino (trombones);

George Roberts (bass trombone); Jimmy Giuffre (baritone sax);

Bud Shank, Bob Cooper, Bill Holman, Jack Montrose (tenor saxes); 

Lou Levy (piano); Ralph Peña (bass); Shelly Manne (drums).   

Recorded at RKO Studio, Hollywood, California,

September 22, November 23 and November 25, 1955