Hi!...

"Romeo Is Bleeding" is indeed an enjoyable film score by Mark Isham and an excellent movie as well.

You might consider "Afterglow".

Cheers!!...

serifiot, February 11, 2008; 2:30 PM

You could also try 'The Public Eye' - very smooth....and of course, it's Isham!

wingrove, February 12, 2008; 8:02 AM

"Taxi Driver" (Bernard Herrmann) is about as dark as jazz can get.

Only recently have I had the oppourtunity to hear the complete release of the score produced in 1996. When the film was released in 1976 the chop job Arista Records did on the score was a source of aggravation and a big dissapointment.

"Taxi Driver" Bernard Herrmann is my nomination for all time best dark and jazzy film score.

I once read in an article somewhere that the saxophonist on that score is the great Ronny Lang who goes back to the early 40's and the big band era and worked in the orchestras of Les Brown and so many others. I've never seen Ronny Lang credited and have never been able to verify that he is indeed the alto sax player on that score although listening to an old Ronny Lang recording here and there over the years it does sound like his playing.

I don't know if "The Gauntlet" (Jerry Fielding) is available on CD. If it is you may enjoy that.

I like sinister sounding jazz myself. Erroll Garner was often asked to score films yets always turned them down as jazz in the cinema was more often than not associated with the underworld and seedy scenerios. He felt the music was given a bad rap in that way. Eventually he scored the upbeat Paul Newman film "A New Kind Of Love".

I love the Hollywood jazz scores from the 1950's. "Crime In The Streets" (Franz Waxman) and the Kenyon Hopkins scores is about as good as it gets.

If you wish to check out some classics feast your ears on "Anatomy Of A Murder" (Duke Ellington), "Sweet Smell Of Success" (Elmer Bernstein), and one of my all time favorites "Touch Of Evil" (Henry Mancini).

As for recent jazz scores "Hoodlum" (Elmer Bernstein) is pretty darn good. Then again Elmer Bernstein always is.

How about "The Grifters" (Elmer Bernstein)? As well as all of the great Mark Isham scores mentioned in this thread.

I'll probably be back for a few more words as jazz film scoring is without doubt my cup of tea.

The DRG disc "Watching And Waiting" (Gerry Mulligan) from the film "La Menace" you should check out tomorrow if not today.

victoravalentine, February 14, 2008; 11:05 AM

And the granddaddy of all jazz scores would be "A Streetcar Named Desire" (Alex North).

And credit due to George Duning with all of the gems he left the world with... "Bell, Book And Candle" with Pete and Conte Candoli, Johnny Williams and so many other big name jazz men performing with the orchestra.

victoravalentine, February 15, 2008; 5:11 PM