Leith Stevens • Private Hell 36

 

Review from AllMusic (by Scott Yanow):
Stevens utilized trumpeter Shorty Rogers and an all-star group of West Coast jazz musicians for atmospheric music in the Ida Lupino film Private Hell 36, which also uses Rogers and the West Coast all-stars. Lupino herself takes the vocal on "Didn't You Know." Stevens' use of progressive jazz created an innovation in film-music history and Stevens was very particular about choosing the right jazz musicians to work on his scores. For these movies he used the interpretative skill of the outstanding young trumpeter and conductor Shorty Rogers. Shorty's collaboration with Stevens in scoring films produced some of the most exciting background music of the time. While soundtracks are generally not complete when heard apart from the film, this historic project works pretty well and will be enjoyed by fans of 1950s West Coast jazz.
https://www.allmusic.com/album/the-wild-one-private-hell-original-soundtracks-mw0000357263

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Reseña de AllMusic (por Scott Yanow):
Stevens utilizó al trompetista Shorty Rogers y un grupo estelar de músicos de jazz de la Costa Oeste para música atmosférica en la película de Ida Lupino Private Hell 36, que también usa a Rogers y las estrellas de la Costa Oeste. La propia Lupino toma la vocal en "Didn't You Know." El uso de jazz progresivo por parte de Stevens creó una innovación en la historia de la música cinematográfica y Stevens era muy particular al elegir a los músicos de jazz adecuados para trabajar en sus partituras. Para estas películas utilizó la habilidad interpretativa del destacado joven trompetista y director Shorty Rogers. La colaboración de Shorty con Stevens en la composición de películas produjo parte de la música de fondo más emocionante de la época. Aunque las bandas sonoras generalmente no están completas cuando se escuchan aparte de la película, este proyecto histórico funciona bastante bien y será disfrutado por los fanáticos del jazz de la Costa Oeste de los años 50.
https://www.allmusic.com/album/the-wild-one-private-hell-original-soundtracks-mw0000357263

Duke Ellington • Anatomy of a Murder

 

Review from JAZZIZ Magazine (by Larry Nai):
The Ellington orchestra sounded exquisite in the early summer sessions that produced this soundtrack. With a burnished sonic brilliance reminiscent of the glorious 1940 Blanton/Webster edition of the band, and soloists like Johnny Hodges and Paul Gonsalves, Ellington's tightly woven soundtrack took on a life independent of its original context. In doing so, it became one of Duke's most satisfying albums.
https://www.amazon.com/Anatomy-Murder-Soundtrack-Motion-Picture/dp/B00000IMYH

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Reseña de JAZZIZ Magazine (por Larry Nai):
La orquesta de Ellington sonó exquisita en las sesiones de principios de verano que produjeron esta banda sonora. Con un brillo sónico bruñido que recuerda a la gloriosa edición Blanton/Webster de 1940 de la banda, y solistas como Johnny Hodges y Paul Gonsalves, la banda sonora tejida apretadamente por Ellington cobró vida independiente de su contexto original. Al hacerlo, se convirtió en uno de los álbumes más satisfactorios de Duke.
https://www.amazon.com/Anatomy-Murder-Soundtrack-Motion-Picture/dp/B00000IMYH

Kenyon Hopkins • Baby Doll - Original Soundtrack 1956

 

Description from Rate Your Music review:
Hopkins composed a groundbreaking score that creatively merged jazz, blues, and orchestral elements for this Tennessee Williams film adaptation directed by Elia Kazan. The soundtrack features sultry saxophone work combined with powerful symphonic arrangements, creating an innovative approach that influenced Hollywood scoring. Hopkins, working in the declining studio era alongside composers like Alex North and Elmer Bernstein, brought fresh contemporary sensibilities to traditional orchestral film music. The result is an alternately sensual and dramatic score that perfectly captured the controversial black comedy atmosphere of the original 1956 film.
https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/kenyon-hopkins/baby-doll/

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Descripción de la reseña de Rate Your Music:
Hopkins compuso una partitura innovadora que fusionó creativamente jazz, blues y elementos orquestales para esta adaptación cinematográfica de Tennessee Williams dirigida por Elia Kazan. La banda sonora presenta trabajo de saxofón sensual combinado con poderosos arreglos sinfónicos, creando un enfoque innovador que influyó en la música para cine de Hollywood. Hopkins, trabajando en la era de declive del sistema de estudios junto a compositores como Alex North y Elmer Bernstein, aportó frescas sensibilidades contemporáneas a la música orquestal tradicional para cine. El resultado es una partitura alternativamente sensual y dramática que capturó perfectamente la atmósfera controversial de comedia negra de la película original de 1956.
https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/kenyon-hopkins/baby-doll/

Settling the Score: Music and the Classical Hollywood Film

 

Beginning with the earliest experiments in musical accompaniment carried out in the Edison Laboratories, Kathryn Kalinak uses archival material to outline the history of American music and film. Focusing on the scores of several key composers of the sound era, including Erich Wolfgang Korngold’s Captain Blood, Max Steiner’s The Informer, Bernard Herrmann’s The Magnificent Ambersons, and David Raksin’s Laura, Kalinak concludes that classical scoring conventions were designed to ensure the dominance of narrative exposition. Her analyses of contemporary work such as John Williams’ The Empire Strikes Back and Basil Poledouris’ RoboCop demonstrate how the traditions of the classical era continue to influence scoring practices today.

 

 

Sonny Rollins • Original Music From The Score ''Alfie''

  

Review by Rovi Staff
Tenor saxophonist Sonny Rollins loaned his flair for the dramatic to the score for the film Alfie, accompanying the story of what the liner notes describe as "the involuntary education of a hipster." Arranged by Oliver Nelson, the soundtrack follows the character's evolution from the carefree, rakish Lothario of "Alfie's Theme" to the contemplative, somewhat broken man reflected in "Alfie's Theme Differently." Rollins attempts to capture the textures of life through his incisive and energetic playing, his coherent improvisations, and variations on musical themes. While "Alfie's Theme" and its variants make the most lasting impression, "He's Younger Than You Are" is touching, laced with regret. And the sensual, relaxed "On Impulse" has a nice sense of immediacy.
https://www.allmusic.com/album/alfie-1966-original-music-from-the-score-mw0000142392

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Reseña de la plantilla de Rovi
El saxofonista tenor Sonny Rollins prestó su talento dramático a la partitura de la película Alfie, acompañando la historia de lo que las notas de presentación describen como "la educación involuntaria de un hipster". Arreglada por Oliver Nelson, la banda sonora sigue la evolución del personaje desde el despreocupado y desenfadado Lothario de "Alfie's Theme" hasta el hombre contemplativo y algo roto que se refleja en "Alfie's Theme Differently". Rollins intenta capturar las texturas de la vida a través de su incisiva y enérgica forma de tocar, sus coherentes improvisaciones y sus variaciones sobre temas musicales. Mientras que "Alfie's Theme" y sus variantes causan la impresión más duradera, "He's Younger Than You Are" es conmovedora y está llena de arrepentimiento. Y la sensual y relajada "On Impulse" tiene una agradable sensación de inmediatez.
https://www.allmusic.com/album/alfie-1966-original-music-from-the-score-mw0000142392


sonnyrollins.com ...

Miles Davis • Ascenseur Pour L'Échafaud [Limited Deluxe Edition]

 

Review :

Jazz and film noir are perfect bedfellows, as evidenced by the soundtrack of Louis Malle's Ascenseur Pour L'Echafaud (Lift to the Scaffold). This dark and seductive tale is wonderfully accentuated by the late-'50s cool or bop music of Miles Davis, played with French jazzmen -- bassist Pierre Michelot, pianist René Urtreger, and tenor saxophonist Barney Wilen -- and American expatriate drummer Kenny Clarke. This recording evokes the sensual nature of a mysterious chanteuse and the contrasting scurrying rat race lifestyle of the times, when the popularity of the automobile, cigarettes, and the late-night bar scene were central figures. Davis had seen a screening of the movie prior to his making of this music, and knew exactly how to portray the smoky hazed or frantic scenes though sonic imagery, dictated by the trumpeter mainly in D-minor and C-seventh chords. Michelot is as important a figure as the trumpeter because he sets the tone, as on the stalking "Visite du Vigile." While the mood of the soundtrack is generally dour and somber, the group collectively picks up the pace exponentially on "Diner au Motel." At times the distinctive Davis trumpet style is echoed into dire straits or death wish motifs, as on "Generique" or "L'Assassinat de Carala," respectively. Clarke is his usual marvelous self, and listeners should pay close attention to the able Urtreger, by no means a virtuoso but a capable and flexible accompanist. This recording can stand proudly alongside Duke Ellington's music from Anatomy of a Murder and the soundtrack of Play Misty for Me as great achievements of artistic excellence in fusing dramatic scenes with equally compelling modern jazz music.

by Michael G. Nastos 

https://www.allmusic.com/album/ascenseur-pour-l%C3chafaud-original-motion-picture-soundtrack-mw0000203518

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Reseña:

El jazz y el cine negro son perfectos compañeros de cama, como lo demuestra la banda sonora de Ascenseur Pour L'Echafaud (Ascensor para el andamio) de Louis Malle. Esta historia oscura y seductora está maravillosamente acentuada por la música cool o bop de Miles Davis de finales de los años 50, interpretada por jazzistas franceses -el bajista Pierre Michelot, el pianista René Urtreger y el saxofonista tenor Barney Wilen- y el baterista expatriado estadounidense Kenny Clarke. Esta grabación evoca la naturaleza sensual de una misteriosa cantante y el contrastante estilo de vida de las carreras de ratas de los tiempos en que la popularidad del automóvil, los cigarrillos y la escena de los bares nocturnos eran figuras centrales. Davis había visto una proyección de la película antes de hacer esta música, y sabía exactamente cómo retratar las humeantes neblinas o escenas frenéticas a través de imágenes sónicas, dictadas por el trompetista principalmente en acordes de Re menor y Do séptima. Michelot es una figura tan importante como el trompetista porque marca el tono, como en la acechanza "Visite du Vigile". Mientras que el ambiente de la banda sonora es generalmente agrio y sombrío, el grupo recoge el ritmo de forma exponencial en "Diner au Motel". A veces el distintivo estilo de la trompeta de Davis se hace eco en los motivos de los apuros o los deseos de muerte, como en "Generique" o "L'Assassinat de Carala", respectivamente. Clarke es su habitual maravilla, y los oyentes deberían prestar mucha atención al hábil Urtreger, no un virtuoso sino un acompañante capaz y flexible. Esta grabación puede estar orgullosa junto con la música de Duke Ellington de Anatomía de un asesinato y la banda sonora de Play Misty for Me como grandes logros de excelencia artística en la fusión de escenas dramáticas con música de jazz moderno igualmente convincente.

por Michael G. Nastos 

https://www.allmusic.com/album/ascenseur-pour-l%C3chafaud-original-motion-picture-soundtrack-mw0000203518

www.milesdavis.com ...

 

Crime and Spy Jazz on Screen, 1950-1970: A History and Discography

 

Henry Mancini's Peter Gunn theme. Lalo Schifrin's Mission: Impossible theme. John Barry's arrangement of the James Bond theme. These iconic melodies have remained a part of the pop culture landscape since their debuts in the late 1950s and early '60s: a "golden decade" that highlighted an era when movie studios and TV production companies employed full orchestral ensembles to provide a jazz backdrop for the suspenseful adventures of secret agents, private detectives, cops, spies and heist-minded criminals. Hundreds of additional films and television shows made during this period were propelled by similarly swinging title themes and underscores, many of which have (undeservedly) faded into obscurity. This meticulously researched book traces the embryonic use of jazz in mainstream entertainment from the early 1950s--when conservative viewers still considered this genre "the devil's music"--to its explosive heyday throughout the 1960s. Fans frustrated by the lack of attention paid to jazz soundtrack composers--including Jerry Goldsmith, Edwin Astley, Roy Budd, Quincy Jones, Dave Grusin, Jerry Fielding and many, many others--will find solace in these pages (along with all the information needed to enhance one's music library). The exploration of action jazz continues in this book's companion volume, Crime and Action Jazz on Screen Since 1971. 

Derrick Bang (Autor)

VA • Best Of Bond... James Bond 50th Anniversary Collection

 

Review by William Ruhlmann
One of the signature aspects of a James Bond movie is its theme song, and, as demonstrated on this collection of those songs, there is a remarkable consistency to them. The first Bond film, 1962's Dr. No, featured Monty Norman's "James Bond Theme," a distinctive instrumental piece that has figured in every Bond picture since and that leads off the disc. But with the second entry in the series, 1963's From Russia with Love, there was a specially written title song sung by a contemporary pop artist during the opening credits. And as of the third entry, 1964's Goldfinger, that song, as often as not, would become a hit. Shirley Bassey's melodramatic performance of "Goldfinger" remains a standard for Bond themes, but, just as the films have been subtly updated through the years, so the theme songs have reflected changes in pop music. Echoes and approximations of Norman's theme turn up over and over as a basis for the songs, even though they make room for individual interpretation. For example, Gladys Knight's "License to Kill" from 1989 may be an '80s power ballad complete with synthesizer accompaniment, but it still uses familiar orchestral elements. And some of the least characteristic songs are also some of the most successful. Carly Simon's "Nobody Does It Better" doesn't even use a film title, yet it is one of the better remembered theme songs. Many of the artists who sing the songs are pop footnotes (a-ha, Sheena Easton), but they were hot when they were asked to participate, and their performances hold up. [Originally released in 1999, the album was reissued in a 40th anniversary edition in 2002 containing three additional tracks, including Garbage's theme song for The World Is Not Enough and Moby's electronica-styled reconstruction of the original theme. It was reissued again in 2012 with Madonna's contribution to 2002's Die Another Day, Soundgarden/Audioslave frontman Chris Cornell's "You Know My Name" from 2006's Casino Royale, and Jack White and Alicia Keys' "Another Way to Die" from 2008's Quantum of Solace.
https://www.allmusic.com/album/the-best-of-bond-james-bond-mw0002415266

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Reseña de William Ruhlmann
Uno de los aspectos característicos de una película de James Bond es su tema principal, y, como se demuestra en esta colección de esas canciones, hay una notable consistencia en ellas. La primera película de Bond, Dr. No de 1962, presentaba el "Tema de James Bond" de Monty Norman, una pieza instrumental distintiva que ha figurado en todas las películas de Bond desde entonces y que se encuentra en el disco. Pero con la segunda entrada de la serie, 1963, "From Russia with Love", había una canción especialmente escrita y cantada por un artista pop contemporáneo durante los créditos de apertura. Y a partir de la tercera entrada, Goldfinger de 1964, esa canción, con frecuencia, se convertiría en un éxito. La melodramática interpretación de Shirley Bassey de "Goldfinger" sigue siendo un estándar para los temas de Bond, pero, así como las películas han sido sutilmente actualizadas a través de los años, los temas han reflejado los cambios en la música pop. Los ecos y aproximaciones del tema de Norman aparecen una y otra vez como base de las canciones, aunque dejan espacio para la interpretación individual. Por ejemplo, "License to Kill" de Gladys Knight de 1989 puede ser una balada de poder de los años 80 completa con acompañamiento de sintetizador, pero todavía utiliza elementos orquestales familiares. Y algunas de las canciones menos características son también algunas de las más exitosas. "Nobody Does It Better" de Carly Simon ni siquiera usa un título de película, pero es uno de los temas más recordados. Muchos de los artistas que cantan las canciones son notas pop a pie de página (a-ha, Sheena Easton), pero estaban calientes cuando se les pidió que participaran, y sus actuaciones se mantienen. El álbum, publicado originalmente en 1999, fue reeditado en una edición del 40º aniversario en 2002, que contenía tres temas adicionales, incluyendo el tema de Garbage para The World Is Not Enough y la reconstrucción del tema original al estilo electrónico de Moby. Se reeditó de nuevo en 2012 con la contribución de Madonna al álbum Die Another Day de 2002, la canción "You Know My Name" de Chris Cornell del Casino Royale de 2006, y "Another Way to Die" de Jack White y Alicia Keys del Quantum of Solace de 2008.
https://www.allmusic.com/album/the-best-of-bond-james-bond-mw0002415266

 

www.007.com ...

   

Contemporary Film Music: Investigating Cinema Narratives and Composition

 

 

The purpose of this book, through its very creation, is to strengthen the dialogue between practitioner and theorist. To that end, a film academic and musicologist have collaborated as editors on this book, which is in turn comprised of interviews with composers alongside complementary chapters that focus on a particular feature of the composer’s approach or style. These chapters are written by a fellow composer, musicologist, or film academic who specializes in that element of the composer’s output. In the interview portions of this book, six major film composers discuss their work from the early 1980s to the present day: Carter Burwell, Mychael Danna, Dario Marianelli, Rachel Portman, Zbigniew Preisner, and A.R. Rahman. The focus is on the practical considerations of film composition, the relationship each composer has with the moving image, narrative, technical considerations, personal motivations in composing, the relationships composers have with their directors, and their own creative processes. Contemporary Film Music also explores the contemporary influence of electronic music, issues surrounding the mixing of soundtracks, music theory, and the evolution of each composer’s musical voice.

 

Hitchcock's Ear: Music and the Director's Art

 

Music is an underexplored dimension in Hitchcock's works. Taking a different view from most works on Hitchcock, David Schroeder focuses on how an expanded definition of music influences Hitchcock's conception of cinema. The structure and rhythm of his films is an important addition to the critical literature on Hitchcock and our understanding of his films and approach to filmmaking.
Alfred Hitchcock liked to describe his work as a director in musical terms; for some of his films, it appears that he started with an underlying musical conception, and transformed that sense of music into visual images. The director's favorite scenes lacked dialogue, and they made their impact through a combination of non-verbal actions and music. For example, the waltz and the piano are used as powerful images in silent films, and this approach carries over into sound films. Looking at such films as Vertigo, Rear Window, and Shadow of a Doubt, Schroeder provides a unique look at the way that Hitchcock thought about cinema in musical terms.

John Williams's Film Music

 

John Williams is one of the most renowned film composers in history. He has penned unforgettable scores for Star Wars, the Indiana Jones series, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, Jaws, Superman, and countless other films. Fans flock to his many concerts, and with forty-nine Academy Award nominations as of 2014, he is the second-most Oscar-nominated person after Walt Disney. Yet despite such critical acclaim and prestige, this is the first book in English on Williams’s work and career.
            Combining accessible writing with thorough scholarship, and rigorous historical accounts with insightful readings, John Williams’s Film Music explores why Williams is so important to the history of film music. Beginning with an overview of music from Hollywood’s Golden Age (1933–58), Emilio Audissino traces the turning points of Williams’s career and articulates how he revived the classical Hollywood musical style. This book charts each landmark of this musical restoration, with special attention to the scores for Jaws and Star Wars, Williams’s work as conductor of the Boston Pops Orchestra, and a full film/music analysis of Raiders of the Lost Ark. The result is a precise, enlightening definition of Williams’s “neoclassicism” and a grounded demonstration of his lasting importance, for both his compositions and his historical role in restoring part of the Hollywood tradition.

 

amazon.com ...

 

Johnny Dankworth • The Criminal

The Hollywood Film Music Reader

 

A rich and informative look at the experiences of composers working under high pressure in the US film industry, The Hollywood Film Music Reader brings readers from film's earliest days to the modern blockbuster era. Beginning with the origins of movie music in the heyday of silent film, the book traces film music's progress through Hollywood's so-called Golden Age to changes in musical styles and working practices from the 1960s to the present. Also included are vivid first-hand accounts from composers such as George Antheil, Elmer Bernstein, Aaron Copland, Adolph Deutsch, Jerry Goldsmith, Bernard Herrmann, Henry Mancini, Thomas Newman, André Previn, David Raksin, Miklós Rózsa, Max Steiner, Dimitri Tiomkin, Franz Waxman, and John Williams, along with testimonies from composers working in animation and documentary film. The book concludes with a section of criticism and commentary, including an essay on film music by Sidney Lumet and Igor Stravinsky's provocative views on the
subject.

 

Understanding the Leitmotif: From Wagner to Hollywood Film Music

 

The musical leitmotif, having reached a point of particular forcefulness in the music of Richard Wagner, has remained a popular compositional device up to the present day. In this book, Matthew Bribitzer-Stull explores the background and development of the leitmotif, from Wagner to the Hollywood adaptations of The Lord of The Rings and the Harry Potter series. Analyzing both concert music and film music, Bribitzer-Stull explains what the leitmotif is and establishes it as the union of two aspects: the thematic and the associative. He goes on to show that Wagner's Ring cycle provides a leitmotivic paradigm, a model from which we can learn to better understand the leitmotif across style periods. Arguing for a renewed interest in the artistic merit of the leitmotif, Bribitzer-Stull reveals how uniting meaning, memory, and emotion in music can lead to a richer listening experience and a better understanding of dramatic music's enduring appeal.

 

Reel Music: Exploring 100 Years of Film Music

 

Reel Music, revised for a new generation of movie lovers, tells the story of film music through iconic scenes. The Second Edition features more in-depth exploration of international films―from classics like Seven Samurai to more recent works like Run Lola Run―as well as new suggestions for activities and classroom discussion, and even more Viewer Guides, which show how film music functions moment-by-moment.

 

Massimo Farao • Music From American TV Shows

Massimo Farao' was born in Genoa in 1965, studied piano with Flavio Crivelli, a local jazz piano player, who also learned Dado Moroni to play, and played in as a young adult with the Nat Adderley Quintet. He moved to the States two years later and became the musical director of the Shawnn Monteiro Quartet with Keter Betts and Bobby Durham.

http://www.mymusicbase.ru/PPB/ppb36/Bio_3669.htm

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Massimo Farao' nació en Génova en 1965, estudió piano con Flavio Crivelli, un pianista de jazz local, que también aprendió Dado Moroni a tocar, y tocó de joven con el Nat Adderley Quintet. Se mudó a los Estados Unidos dos años después y se convirtió en el director musical del Cuarteto Shawnn Monteiro con Keter Betts y Bobby Durham.
http://www.mymusicbase.ru/PPB/ppb36/Bio_3669.htm

Mundell Lowe • Small Screen Action

Biography

A reliable cool-toned guitarist who was on many sessions through the years despite never becoming a household name, Mundell Lowe picked up early experience during 1936-1940 playing Dixieland in New Orleans and country music in Nashville. He toured with Jan Savitt (1942), Ray McKinley (1945-1947), Mary Lou Williams (1947-1949), Red Norvo, and Ellis Larkins. In 1950, he became a staff musician at NBC, although he always played jazz on the side. Lowe was with the Sauter-Finegan Orchestra (1952-1953), worked with Benny Goodman on an occasional basis, and recorded as a leader for RCA, Riverside, Camden, and Charlie Parker Records. In 1965, Lowe moved to California and worked as a composer for films and television, teaching film composition during 1979-1985. He played locally in Los Angeles, often with Richie Kamuca and Benny Carter. Mundell Lowe (who is married to singer Betty Bennett) recorded sets for Famous Door (1974), Dobre (1976), and Jazz Alliance (1992). ~ Scott Yanow

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Biografía

Un guitarrista confiable de tono frío que estuvo en muchas sesiones a través de los años a pesar de que nunca se convirtió en un nombre familiar, Mundell Lowe adquirió una experiencia temprana durante 1936-1940 tocando Dixieland en Nueva Orleans y música country en Nashville. Realizó giras con Jan Savitt (1942), Ray McKinley (1945-1947), Mary Lou Williams (1947-1949), Red Norvo y Ellis Larkins. En 1950, se convirtió en músico de plantilla en la NBC, aunque siempre tocó jazz por su cuenta. Lowe estuvo con la Orquesta Sauter-Finegan (1952-1953), trabajó con Benny Goodman ocasionalmente y grabó como líder para RCA, Riverside, Camden y Charlie Parker Records. En 1965, Lowe se mudó a California y trabajó como compositor para películas y televisión, enseñando composición de películas durante 1979-1985. Tocó localmente en Los Ángeles, a menudo con Richie Kamuca y Benny Carter. Mundell Lowe (que está casado con la cantante Betty Bennett) grabó sets para Famous Door (1974), Dobre (1976) y Jazz Alliance (1992). ~ Scott Yanow

Stereophonic Space Sound Unlimited • Music From The 6th Floor

 

 

Stereophonic Space Sound Unlimited are a Swiss instrumental band on the Dionysus Records label. They have released several albums. Their work has been used in American television shows such as The Chris Isaak Show, and they have created film soundtracks featuring their distinctive sound.

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Stereophonic Space Sound Unlimited es una banda instrumental suiza del sello Dionysus Records. Han publicado varios álbumes. Su trabajo ha sido utilizado en programas de televisión americanos como The Chris Isaak Show, y han creado bandas sonoras de películas con su sonido distintivo.

 

 

www.stereophonic-space-sound-unlimited ...

 

 

 

Hugo Montenegro & His Orchestra • Come Spy With Me

Biography

Hugo Montenegro was a composer, arranger, and conductor who is primarily known for his movie work in the '60s, as well as his adaptations of film scores like The Good, the Bad and the Ugly. Montenegro began his musical career in the U.S. Navy, where he arranged scores for various military bands. After he left the Navy, he completed school at Manhattan College, then he began a professional music career.

Initially, Montenegro was the staff manager to André Kostelanetz at Columbia Records in New York, which eventually led to a job as a conductor/arranger for several of the label's artists, most notably Harry Belafonte. By the mid-'50s, Montenegro was making his own albums of easy listening orchestral music.

Montenegro moved to California in the mid-'60s and began to write film scores, starting with Otto Preminger's Hurry Sundown in 1967. That same year, he recorded a version of the theme to The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, which was written by Ennio Morricone. Featuring an arrangement that relied on a chorus, electric instruments, and special effects, the single was a major hit, reaching number one in the U.K. and number two in the U.S.; internationally, it sold over a million copies. An album titled Music from "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly" & "A Fistful of Dollars" & "For a Few Dollars More" appeared shortly after the single's release, and it reached the Top Ten in the spring 1968. Later in the year, Montenegro released a single of the theme from Hang 'Em High, which was a lesser hit, as was the album of the same name.

Montenegro began to branch out after the Hang 'Em High album, recording a diverse array of albums, ranging from show tunes to electronic experiments. Throughout the late '60s and '70s, he continued to score films, including Lady in Cement, The Undefeated, The Wrecking Crew, Tomorrow, and The Ambushers, among many others. He continued composing and recording until his death in 1981.

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Biografía

Hugo Montenegro fue un compositor, arreglista y director de orquesta conocido principalmente por su trabajo en películas de los 60, así como por sus adaptaciones de partituras de películas como El bueno, el malo y el feo. Montenegro comenzó su carrera musical en la Marina de los EE.UU., donde arregló partituras para varias bandas militares. Después de dejar la Marina, completó la escuela en el Manhattan College, y luego comenzó una carrera musical profesional.

Inicialmente, Montenegro fue el gerente de personal de André Kostelanetz en Columbia Records en Nueva York, lo que eventualmente llevó a un trabajo como director/arreglista para varios de los artistas del sello, más notablemente Harry Belafonte. A mediados de los 50, Montenegro estaba haciendo sus propios álbumes de música orquestal de fácil escucha.

Montenegro se mudó a California a mediados de los 60 y empezó a escribir partituras para películas, empezando con "Hurry Sundown" de Otto Preminger en 1967. Ese mismo año, grabó una versión del tema de El bueno, el malo y el feo, escrito por Ennio Morricone. Con un arreglo que se basaba en un coro, instrumentos eléctricos y efectos especiales, el sencillo fue un gran éxito, llegando al número uno en el Reino Unido y al número dos en los Estados Unidos; internacionalmente, vendió más de un millón de copias. Un álbum titulado Music from "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly" & "A Fistful of Dollars" & "For a Few Dollars More" apareció poco después del lanzamiento del single, y llegó al Top Ten en la primavera de 1968. Más tarde ese año, Montenegro lanzó un single del tema de Hang 'Em High, que fue un éxito menor, al igual que el álbum del mismo nombre.

Montenegro comenzó a diversificarse después del álbum Hang 'Em High, grabando una gran variedad de álbumes, desde temas de espectáculos hasta experimentos electrónicos. A lo largo de los años 60 y 70, continuó componiendo películas, incluyendo Lady in Cement, The Undefeated, The Wrecking Crew, Tomorrow, y The Ambushers, entre muchas otras. Continuó componiendo y grabando hasta su muerte en 1981.

The Film Music of John Williams: Reviving Hollywood's Classical Style

 

From the triumphant “Main Title” in Star Wars to the ominous bass line of Jaws, John Williams has penned some of the most unforgettable film scores—while netting more than fifty Academy Award nominations. This updated and revised edition of Emilio Audissino’s groundbreaking volume takes stock of Williams’s creative process and achievements in music composition, including the most recent sequels in the film franchises that made him famous. Audissino discusses Williams’s unique approach to writing by examining his neoclassical style in context, demonstrating how he revived and revised classical Hollywood music. This volume details Williams’s lasting impact on the industry and cements his legacy as one of the most important composers in movie history. A must for fans and film-music lovers alike.