COMPOSERS: Bob Belden
LABELS: Blue Note
PERFORMER: Bob Belden (ct), orchestra incl. Lew Soloff, Tim Hagans (t), Joe Lovano (ts), Marc Copland (p), Ira Coleman (b), Billy Kilson (d)
CATALOGUE NO: 5 23883 2
The film scores for classic Forties films noirs such as The Big Sleep by Max Steiner, Laura by David Raskin or Double Indemnity and Asphalt Jungle by Miklós Rózsa, and later captured by Jerry Goldsmith in 1974’s Chinatown, have always shared much in common with jazz. Just a few notes and you are in a time and a place (usually Chandleresque Los Angeles in the postwar Forties).
Here Belden, an accomplished composer and arranger, evokes those dark, sombre moods with the specific jazz resonance showcasing some brilliantly evocative soloists (see above) to create a memorable album. SN