 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Garth Libre
Date: 2012-09-15 02:25
Today, I have a heavy duty flu with high temperature. I stayed home from work and saw a slew of old TV shows on METV. I love Highway Patrol from the 50's but the great background music didn't start until shows like Hawaii 5-0 from the 70's. In one episode I saw, the woodwind ensemble laid out a wonderfully rich, interesting and modern background score. Even a 103 degree temperature couldn't prevent me from recognizing the terrific clarinet (bass and soprano) parts. Nowadays they seem to use canned music from established groups. I suppose this keeps costs down, but I miss the innovative work of TV composers. Perhaps this reflects the dumbing down of America's musical taste. I especially love the background music from Alfred Hitchcock's movie Vertigo. This is what makes a total experience for me.
Garth, 305-981-4705. garthlibre@yahoo.com
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2012-09-15 11:19
In the UK, Dudley Simpson wrote some great background and incidental music for Dr. Who and Blake's 7 using a mixture of all manner of woodwinds (I think he even used crumhorns!), brass and electronics.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: SchlockRod
Date: 2012-09-16 04:44
Man it's sad because the great charts/arrangers/players in TV shows & movies in those days went unnoticed by most VIEWERS, and those LISTENING were by and large not appreciative (as those who PLAY are). And so a vocation (not a mere profession) died. A few arrangers may still get work, and a few wind players may still play in Hollywood & elsewhere, but if it ain't shakin that thang and mouthing some offensive or just plain silly lyric (and forget about anybody PLAYING an instrument), its days are numbered.
See if you can find some Courageous Cat cartoons (ca. 1960). Dig the soundtrack! Deep even for us today. Sounds like some George Russell stuff, but it isn't I think. And this was a kid's cartoon!
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Author: Garth Libre
Date: 2012-09-16 11:01
The worst part of this dumbing down of background music trend is that people now respond differently to hearing modern orchestral music when they hear it on its own terms without a movie. There are exceptions of course, and each year I give the Oscars awards for movie soundtrack special attention. The fact remains that orchestral and chamber music played a big part in people's subconsciousness even 30 to 40 years ago. Most people are well aware of "Thus Spake Zarathushra" from 2001 a space Odyssey. There was a war movie made back in the 70's where a certain General had his troops do battle in Vietnam to Wagner's The Ride of the Valkeiries played over loudspeakers. Modern scores were a major part of Hitchcock movies and David Lean's. People love Dr. Zhivago to this day. Most TV shows of some note featured strong memorable openings like Peter Gunn and Perry Mason. Every suspenseful door opening was heralded by a worrisome oboe. Before someone was stabbed to death we were treated to a dissonant piano cord. Raunchy sex was associated with saxophone solos - always.
Now TV shows feature groups with electronic music, drum machines and pitch corrected super dumb lyrics. It's no wonder that when I play a little Peter Ragullo or Stan Kenton, Alex Wilder, people think I have little music taste or exposure. Sad.
Garth, 305-981-4705. garthlibre@yahoo.com
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Author: chris moffatt
Date: 2012-09-16 11:11
That VietNam war movie was "Apocalypse Now" - still a classic. You mention Peter Gunn - written by Henry Mancini - there was an album of PG music. A couple of others were "Staccato"(theme by Elmer Bernstein) and "Mission Impossible". All this stuff holds up today.
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Author: Tony M
Date: 2012-09-16 12:05
I think Mr. Coppola would have seen 'Apocalypse Now' as an anti-war movie. The presence of the Wagner in the helicopter sequence couldn't really be taken as 100% positive. It was there but it was the choice of an insane general after all.
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Author: Garth Libre
Date: 2012-09-16 12:55
True, the Wagner "ride" music was the act of crazy general, but nowadays a general would be likely to choose something vintage from his childhood like "Public Enemy". Paul Ryan made fun of Romney's Itune selection on his Ipod. Most of it was trite pop garbage and Ryan was strangely proud of his more updated pop garbage in his Ipod. If I remember Obama's Ipod list was not much better. Clinton, even though he was driven partially deaf by loud amplified music in his youth, still had a penchant for classic jazz. Nixon and Kennedy also had much more mature taste in music. It was part of their generation. Acoustic music and orchestral instruments, as imperfect as they are, are still the only source of sounds that draw us in to the amazing complexity and variation of music, and we become more subtle people when we agree to allow them into our lives.
Garth, 305-981-4705. garthlibre@yahoo.com
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Author: Campana
Date: 2012-09-16 15:35
Not exactly background music, more like "in your face" music but I regret the passing of the BIG swing bands. Are we ever likely to hear the likes of Stan Kenton's Peanut Vendor again. Just listened to it again on You Tube to make sure nostalgia wasn't enhancing my memory, what energy!!!
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2012-09-16 15:56
The Simpsons and Family use live musicians (orchestral and Big Band) in their soundtracks.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: Garth Libre
Date: 2012-09-16 16:59
And to think that the popular sound of those big bands eventually became replaced by the wonderful musical renditions performed by rap groups where the musicians think a "chord" is something you plug your headphones in with, and "compose" is something you do to calm yourself down so you don't get angry enough to shoot another "musician".
Garth, 305-981-4705. garthlibre@yahoo.com
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2012-09-16 17:18
Garth, did your C key pack up when you typed 'rap'?
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: SchlockRod
Date: 2012-09-16 19:39
Yeah man the soundtracks/themes of Pete Rugolo, Shelly Manne, Shorty Rogers epitomize the BEST of the late 50s (and there was a lot to like about the 50s). That was a whole other aspect of the "West Coast" sound that is underappreciated. Likewise the stuff Oliver Nelson, Gerald Wilson, did in the 60s.
And I can't name all the dudes what wrote such hip stuff that redeemed the 70s musically in shows & movies: Kojak, The Persuaders (British TV), etc. We watched The Eiger Sanction recently with C. Eastwood - it and so many other flicks had killing soundtracks. You have to love the fuzz-wah, the Clavinet, the Fender bass lines, etc.
As much of a drag as TV, and most of its shows, were for America, the composers, arrangers, and session players managed to give meaning to even that cheesy stuff.
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Author: Garth Libre
Date: 2012-09-17 11:22
I was still laid up with flu on Sunday. So I watched the cult 1967 movie "Point Blank". The movie stars a criminal bent on retrieving 93 thousand dollars from his many prior partners in crime who he eliminates against odds -one by one. It stars Lee Marvin and Angie Dickenson and the music was composed by Johnny Mandel. There was violence on screen back in those days as there is now. The difference is now the background music alone can get me to cringe. Mandel was one of those who knew how to wield a pen.
Garth, 305-981-4705. garthlibre@yahoo.com
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Author: Mark Charette
Date: 2012-09-17 13:32
Hoyt Curtin, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hoyt_Curtin. Also did, according to that article,
Quote:
He was the composer of many of the Hanna-Barbera cartoons' popular theme songs, including The Flintstones until 1981, Top Cat, The Jetsons, Jonny Quest, Superfriends, Josie and the Pussycats, The Smurfs and The New Scooby-Doo Movies and all its spinoffs until 1986. Beginning in 1959, Curtin also composed many of the stock tunes used as incidental music in the various Hanna-Barbera series. He also was the composer for the 1960 animated series Q.T. Hush, one of the first cartoons to appear in color. He also composed two of the tunes heard in the background in Plan 9 From Outer Space, although he was embarrassed by the film's poor cinematic quality.
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Author: RefacerMan
Date: 2012-09-17 18:46
Those shows from the 60s and 70s had LOADS of bass clarinet in them. Especially Lost In Space.
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Author: Garth Libre
Date: 2012-09-20 16:45
The 1962 Hitchcock movie "Marnie" has a wonderful soprano clarinet arpeggio in it everytime Marnie sees a red color which reminds her of blood.
Garth, 305-981-4705. garthlibre@yahoo.com
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Author: Paula S
Date: 2012-09-20 19:20
Ohhhhhhhhh my god so love Lost in Space, the music and Dr Smith? What a clarinet blast from the past! Many thanks for that x
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Author: Arnoldstang
Date: 2012-09-20 23:11
Raymond Scott and Earle Hagen are two biggies for me. Not quite 60 and 70's for Scott though.
Freelance woodwind performer
Post Edited (2012-09-20 23:13)
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Author: Lelia Loban ★2017
Date: 2012-09-21 13:03
Films noir from the 1940s and 1950s often have excellent soundtracks. Some of my favorite films noir with excellent scores are D.O.A. (1950), KISS ME DEADLY (1955 -- try to see the DVD that includes the alternate ending) and I WANT TO LIVE! (1958).
Lelia
http://www.scoreexchange.com/profiles/Lelia_Loban
To hear the audio, click on the "Scorch Plug-In" box above the score.
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Author: SchlockRod
Date: 2012-09-23 04:26
Yeah man I Want to Live was a Johnny Mandel score and the soundtrack was more star-studded than the flick.
Since these guys never got their due, I'll give them a small bit of notoriety here amongst those who appreciate their musicianship:
Alto Saxophone, Flute – Bud Shank
Baritone Saxophone – Gerry Mulligan
Bass – Red Mitchell
Bass Clarinet, Bassoon [Contra Bassoon] – Marty Berman
Bass Saxophone, Clarinet [Contra-bass] – Chuck Gentry
Clarinet [Clarinets] – Abe Most
Conductor – Johnny Mandel
Double Bass [String Bass] – Red Mitchell
Drums – Shelly Manne
French Horn – John Cave, Dick Parisi, Sinclair Lott, Vincent De Rosa
Guitar – Al Hendricksen
Harp – Kathryn Julye
Percussion – Larry Bunker, Mel Lewis, Mike Pacheco, Milt Holland, Shelly Manne
Piano – Pete Jolly
Piccolo Flute, Flute [Flutes] – Harry Klee
Saxophone [Saxes], Bass Clarinet – Joe Maini
Saxophone [Saxes], Clarinet – Bill Holman
Supervised By [Soundtrack Recording] – Jack Lewis
Trombone – Frank Rosolino, Milt Bernhart
Trombone, Trumpet [Bass] – Dave Wells
Trumpet – Al Porcino, Art Farmer, Ed Leddy, Jack Sheldon
Another great Noir flick along the same lines was Ascenseur pour L'echafaud (Elevator to the Gallows) with no less than Miles Davis writing and arranging the score!
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Author: Lelia Loban ★2017
Date: 2012-09-24 13:27
>>
Another great Noir flick along the same lines was Ascenseur pour L'echafaud (Elevator to the Gallows) with no less than Miles Davis writing and arranging the score!
>>
Yes!
There's a lot of good clarinet playing in SONG OF THE THIN MAN (1947), which is a true film noir (and the only film noir in the THIN MAN series) even though it's also a comedy. David Snell wrote the jazz and swing score but when I wrote a short review of the movie for "Scarlet" a few years ago, I couldn't find out the names of the musicians. Maddening.
Lelia
http://www.scoreexchange.com/profiles/Lelia_Loban
To hear the audio, click on the "Scorch Plug-In" box above the score.
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Author: MarlboroughMan
Date: 2012-09-24 15:35
If the musicians used in Song of the Thin Man were union, it might be possible to go through union records to determine who played the soundtrack. This same process was done by Vladamir Simosko when researching his book on Artie Shaw, though I'm not sure about the hiring of bands in the movies. Was Song of the Thin Man a Warner Bros flick? Maybe they had a house band that could be traced.
I'd be interested if anyone could find out--that's a great group, and the clarinet soloing is really pretty good. There seem to be multiple jazz clarinetists on the soundtrack as well, so we're probably dealing with two or three competent jazz clarinetists.
Great movie.
Eric
******************************
The Jazz Clarinet
http://thejazzclarinet.blogspot.com/
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Author: Lelia Loban ★2017
Date: 2012-09-24 18:51
Eric wrote,
>> There seem to be multiple jazz clarinetists on the soundtrack as well, so we're probably dealing with two or three competent jazz clarinetists.
>>
Yes. Two of the major characters are clarinetists. It's obvious that Keenan Wynn, the actor in the role of Clarence "Clinker" Krause, and Don Taylor, in the role of Buddy Hollis, don't play clarinet on the soundtrack. They're good actors in the roles, but for me the music sounds better if I look away instead of getting distracted by watching them fake it!
SONG OF THE THIN MAN is an MGM movie. MGM used a huge stable of musicians in the 1940s. Because they usually didn't need to be credited onscreen under union contracts at the time, it's often very hard to come up with a list now. I wrote that article back in 2000 (above, I mistakenly wrote that it was for "Scarlet," but it was for that magazine's ancestor, "Scarlet Street") and I never have found soundtrack information for SONG OF THE THIN MAN.
Lelia
http://www.scoreexchange.com/profiles/Lelia_Loban
To hear the audio, click on the "Scorch Plug-In" box above the score.
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