In the aftermath of the noirish murder of Actor Robert Blake's wife, and after a month of fretting about what had become of my favorite Jazz at the Movies Band CD, BODY HEAT (Discovery 77001), I glanced at one of my shelves last week, and there it was, all the time. As those of you who have read my review of *SAX AND VIOLENCE or WHITE HEAT FILM NOIR may remember, BODY HEAT is one of a group of Jazz arrangements for Classic and Modern Film Noir musical themes. BODY HEAT, like *WHITE HEAT FILM NOIR, has Jack Shelton, good friend of Blake, playing trumpet for the Band.

Other members of the band, not all of whom are in the WHITE HEAT effort, are linchpin pianist Bill Cunliffe, drummer Bernie Dresel, bassist Roberto Vally and Matt Harris on additional keyboards. Featured soloists are Ernie Watts, tenor sax; Kim Richmond, alto sax; Bob Summers, trumpet; Arnold McCullers, vocal; John Pisano, acoustic guitar; Ron Kalina, harmonica; Brad Dutz percussion; Brian Kilgore, percussion; Scott Breadman, percussion; Mark Portmann, synthesizer; and David Loeb, synthesizer. I am not sure what takes BODY HEAT a cut above its mate, perhaps it is the extra synthesizer and the mix of percussion. It is simply, as its title suggests, warmer, more supple, more passionate -- more intriguing and pleasant to listen to.

It may be that the WHITE HEAT jazz is all derived from heavier Classic Noir orchestral themes.

Film Noir, as you will know by now, is a form of American movie, identified by some critics for its crime subject matter, and by others for its use of high contrast film stock, lighting, shadow, stark cutting and moody music. The former group usually call John Huston's THE MALTESE FALCON (1941) the first important Noir, but the latter technical devotees favor Orson Welles' more political, larger scoped *CITIZEN KANE of the same year. The movies which followed these pioneers were often cheaply, swiftly made studio program films. Welles' 1958 *TOUCH OF EVIL, since its recent restoration, is now given credit for being the last Classic Noir, in both definitions of the genre.

The French and other film industries, however, feeling left out because of the War, experimented with Noir lighting (BLACK ORPHEUS, 1951) and employed blacklisted Hollywood directors, such as Jules Dassin (RIFIFI, 1954/2000), to create examples of the form in Europe. Purists claimed that a Noir had to be in black and white, and it remained for that great dabbler in various genres, Writer-Director Larry Kasdan, to reinvent in color the (Modern) Noir with his debut film: *BODY HEAT (1981). Its success led on, here and abroad, to a revival of the genre, extending right down to the current *SEXY BEAST. (Jonathan Glazer's Noir contains elements of not just Jules Dassin's 1950 *NIGHT AND THE CITY and his later *RIFIFI, but Huston's l951 THE ASPHALT JUNGLE as well).

Ten movie scores are elaborated upon in the BODY HEAT CD, and all may be considered Modern Noirs (although a couple are a stretch):

1) It is no doubt appropriate that the *BODY HEAT title cut (4:02) features an alto sax solo that will scorch the paint of the disk. John Barry's score for this domestic murder-triangle classic (until recently out of print) is redolent of the film's warm, moist femme fatale (Kathleen Turner's debut) and the sweaty Florida Gulf nights of its setting. Brad Dutz's percussion and David Loeb's subtle use of synthesizer assist Bill Cunliffe's piano. Don't miss it.

2) Jerry Goldsmith (Grand Master of Modern Noir scores -- LA CONFIDENTIAL, Hanson, 1997) contributes "Katya's Love Theme" from Fred Schepsi's THE RUSSIA HOUSE. The theme is introduced by Mark Portmann's synthesizer and the estimable Jack Shelton comes on with a muted trumpet over Cunliffe's piano again. Whether John Le Carre's farewell to the Cold War may be designated by some as a Noir, the jazz arrangement is masterful in expressing a bluesy longing. (4:33).

3) The French make one of three appearances in a pairing of two themes from Gabriel Jared's 1986 music for Jean-Jacques Beneix's BETTY BLUE, a Bonnie and Clyde story of a violent crime spree. "Betty and Zorg's Theme" features Ernie Watts on tenor sax. "Chili Con Carne" becomes a samba, with bird and monkey sounds provided by Portmann's synthesizer, as John Pisano's acoustic guitar duels Cunliffe's pounding piano. Brad Dutz, Brian Kilgore, and Scott Breadman all contribute percussion. This is one of my favorite cuts, perhaps because I am not familiar with the movie. (6:06).

4) Another favorite of mine is the combination of Cunliffe and Richmond on piano and alto sax, punctuated by Shelton's trumpet, on David Shire's lovely score for Dick Richards' production of Raymond Chandler's FAREWELL MY LOVELY (1975). Roberto Vally's bass underpins this beauty. You can feel the deadly, elusive and gorgeous Charlotte Rampling (*UNDER THE SAND, 2001) tempting Robert Mitchum's Phillip Marlowe. No doubt about an authentic Film Noir or its theme here. (4:42).

5) THE BAGDAD CAFE (Adlon, 1988) is another somewhat dubious Noir, but Bob Telson's lonely desert theme, "Calling You," is well served by Arnold McCuller's counter tenor vocal, backed by David Loeb's synthesizer, riffs by Shelton on trumpet, Dutz's percussion, Vally's bass, and featuring a harmonica solo by Ron Kalina. The German Producer-Writer-Director Percy Adlon did bring a certain Noir quality to the American Southwest, at least in Nan Mishkin's arrangement. (4:24).

6) The oldest film in the group, Marcel Camus' 1959 BLACK ORPHEUS was a French version of a classic Brazilian retelling of the Orpheus and Euridyce Myth in the underworld of Rio's favelas. Recently remade in color as *ORPHEU, Camus' film was in black and white, the only one in this group of films. It featured a theme by Luis Bonfax and Antonio Carlos Jobim which swept Europe and America, becoming a standard. Here, synthesizer produced bird calls fade into a samba of Carnival with Pisano on guitar and lots of percussion by Dutz, Breadman and Kilgore -- not to mention Vally's bass. (4:02).

7) The theme "Les Modernes" from Mark Isham's score for Alan Rudolph's THE MODERNS is turned into a nocturne, suggesting the Paris night of that Lost Generation artist story. Jack Shelton's trumpet solos smokily in tandem with Portmann's synthesizer, Cunliffe's and Harris's pianos, plus Dutz's percussion. They do a fine job. (3:27).

8) The Gang may not have to do much with "Round Midnight," an authentic Jazz masterpiece by Thelonius Monk and Cootie Williams, arranged by Cunliffe and Herbie Hancock, but they do it well. It was the central musical theme in French Director Bertrand Tavernier's moving musical tragedy, *ROUND MIDNIGHT, based on the lives of Jazzmen Bud Powell and Lester Young, starring legendary Alto Saxophonist Dexter Gordon. Here, curiously enough, featured Trumpeter Bob Summers takes center stage. (3:27).

9) "Memories of Green," from the Vangelis score for Ridley Scott's influential artificial intelligence android Noir, BLADE RUNNER (1982), is simplicity beatified. Arranged and played by Bill Cunliffe solo, it is in the upper key, with lazy arpeggios. Beautiful! (4:45).

10) Finally, Bernard Herrmann's superb "Theme from (Martin Scorsese's) TAXI DRIVER (1976)," musically juxtaposes the Night and Travis Bickle's Yellow Cab through Kim Richmond's dominant Alto Saxophone and Bob Summer's muted trumpet, moderated and elevated by Cunliffe on the keys. Hermann died while working on this ordchestration, and the movie is dedicated to him: Black Magic! (4:45).

BODY HEAT is the most successful of the three Jazz-oriented Film Noir CD's I've come across. Perhaps 45 minutes of music is a bit of a short change, and not all of these films may qualify as Film Noir, nor even Modern Noir, but with music as darkly varied, entertaining and accomplished as this, who cares?

We can see why Bobby Blake may have liked these themes.

Recommended.

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"Body Heat" and her cold-hearted brother, "White Heat," are now featured on the juke box at the Noir City Bar, "The Ha-Ra Club," Geary and Larkin, Midtown San Francisco. Ask Karl Kickery to show you #91 and #16. Tell him that Macresarf1 sent you.

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*If you would like to read Macresarf1's reviews of some the CD's and films noted here, go to the following URL's:

WHITE HEAT FILM NOIR (CD) --

http://www.epinions.com/content_22072168068

SAX AND VIOLENCE (CD) --

http://www.epinions.com/content_24100703876

BODY HEAT (Movie) --

http://www.epinions.com/mvie-review-149D-8312F4B-38A634EA-prod5

CITIZEN KANE (Movie) --

http://www.epinions.com/mvie-review-4874-81FD18C-38741497-bd4

TOUCH OF EVIL (Movie) --

http://www.epinions.com/mvie-review-56EB-4CC3BE-38C95F91-prod4

NIGHT AND THE CITY (MoviE) --

http://www.epinions.com/mvie-review-2681-12306880-3884EE42-prod1

RIFIFI (Movie) --

http://www.epinions.com/mvie-review-CE1-3BC04C06-3A1F35EF-prod6

SEXY BEAST (Movie) --

http://www.epinions.com/content_27422527108

UNDER THE SAND (Movie) --

http://www.epinions.com/content_21469695620

ROUND MIDNIGHT (Movie) --

http://www.epinions.com/mvie-review-7DFE-85D27C-39A706EF























Recommended: Yes

Great Music to Play While: Romancing