By Darren Allison
(Cinema Retro Soundtrack Editor)
I was recently fortunate enough to make an
acquaintance with Jason Lee Lazell of Moochin’ About Records which is earning kudos for releasing some high
profile film-related recordings. The latest box set in their Jazz on Film
series – ‘Crime Jazz’- will be featured
in our upcoming print edition of Cinema Retro. Another of their impressive
releases, Film Noir, is a superb 5 CD
box set featuring seven fantastic scores including Alex North’s A Streetcar Named
Desire (1951), Leith Stevens’s Private Hell 36 (1954), Elmer Bernstein’s The
Man with the Golden Arm (1955), Elmer Bernstein and Chico Hamilton’s Sweet
Smell of Success (1957), Henry Mancini’s Touch of Evil (1958), Duke Ellington’s
Anatomy of a Murder (1959) and John Lewis’s Odds Against tomorrow (1959). I
must admit, I initially thought these releases were just going to be another in
a long line of reissues, but how wrong I was…
First,
I can’t emphasise enough just how classy these releases are. In terms of audio
quality alone, they are undoubtedly the best I have ever had the pleasure of
hearing. Sonically, they are simply outstanding, revealing a sharpness which no
other label has seemed to achieve. The recordings are so clean; they almost offer
a vibrant new listening experience.
Packaging
of this release is also first class; its sturdy hard box contains a 52 page
book with extensive liner notes, full personnel details, recording history and
full colour reproductions of film posters from around the world. Each of the 5
discs are housed in beautiful card sleeves, each with a generic b/w brick wall
design from which the relevant soundtrack’s film poster is pasted. It’s a very
nice touch, providing a charming film noir feel to eye as well as the ear.
Film
Noir offers a fabulous set of quality sounding soundtracks at an extremely good
price. Don’t hesitate to check out this beautiful set. It might be hiding in
the shadows, but it’s well worth pursuing.
You can find Jazz on Film...Noir
at:
Amazon UK
Amazon USA
Or at theMoochin’ About website at http://moochinabout.com/