While you're reading, listen to the entire playlist: Noir Romance -- Sophisticated Ladies & Doomed MenLovers of classic films know how snugly Bogey and Bacall fit together or how Jack Nicholson was never better than when matched with the doomed, sumptuous mysteries at the heart of Chinatown (which features one of the most haunting central themes of all time). Even those misguided souls out there who never watch TCM have probably seen modern noir films like L.A. Confidential or pretty much everything Christopher Nolan has made (including The Dark Knight). Hearing the music in detective movies and noir films actually helped get me into jazz in the first place. After all, who can resist John Barry's score to Body Heat or Bernard Herrmann's theme to Taxi Driver?
That is why I was so thrilled to get Charlie Haden's Sophisticated Ladies as a pre-release exclusive for Rhapsody. On this achingly romantic theme album, the brilliant bassist and band leader gets to act like Alfred Hitchcock and cast Diana Krall, Melody Gardot, Cassandra Wilson, Norah Jones, Ruth Cameron and Renee Fleming as femme fatales in a black-and-white dream world of love-struck mystery. Throughout, Haden's Quartet West go from backing these nightclub canaries to laying out bop instrumentals that advance the plot and deepen the smoky mood.
The album got me thinking about other albums that have the emotional pull of film noir, so while you're listening to the Charlie Haden Quartet West's Sophisticated Ladies, here are some other collections that match music with darkly cinematic moods. There is plenty of jazz here for you to (re)discover, but there's also rock, trip-hop and world music that dim the lights and set the stage for a twilight landscape where romance, heartbreak and short-lived rebounds collide with murder, mystery and uptown nightclubs that always feature a femme fatale as the central attraction.
You can add these albums to your Rhapsody collections, and we've also included specially made playlists and radio stations to keep you in a movie frame of mind from dawn to dusk. To start you off, here are selections from the cinema-soaked selections below.
Charlie Haden Quartet West
Haunted Heart
Charlie Haden had been universally revered in the jazz community for decades when this 1992 concept album with his Quartet West bop supergroup crossed him over to a mass audience. Haden, a film buff, uses the darkly romantic mood of noir mysteries such as The Big Sleep and Out of the Past to propel what is essentially a hardcore bop set. Haden and his secret weapon, pianist Alan Broadbent, combine originals, movie themes and standards seamlessly with a couple of hardcore jazz pieces while the long-lost voices of Billie Holiday, Jo Stafford and Jeri Southern waft in like cool breezes on a balmy night. — Nick Dedina
To hear more of Charlie Haden Quartet West, check out this playlist.
To check out noir solo selections by the star vocalists on Sophisticated Ladies, go here.
Frank Sinatra
In the Wee Small Hours
This exquisite after-hours ballad set was the first of Sinatra's dark heartbreak albums, and overall one of his most influential albums. Nelson Riddle's arrangements are so subtle that you don't even notice when a small jazz group replaces the orchestra. Along with Sinatra's upbeat Songs for Swingin' Lovers, this platter became the blueprint for pop and jazz releases of the 1950s. — N.D.
Carlos Franzetti
Film Noir
Carlos Franzetti keeps his seat at the piano but focuses on his orchestral writing for this tribute to jazz movie themes. He also leaves plenty of room for alto saxophonist Andy Fusco's solos. Only about half the movies featured are crime movies, though they often make for the highlights, from John Barry's sensual "Body Heat" theme and the barroom bop of Johnny Mandel's "I Want to Live" to Bernard Herrmann's brilliant music for "Taxi Driver." Franzetti strips away the orchestra for Herbie Hancock's "Still Time" and brings the strings back in for David Raksin's "The Bad and the Beautiful." — N.D.
Melody Gardot
My One and Only Thrill
This young singer-songwriter seemed to arrive fully formed on her debut. But this follow-up shows that Melody Gardot's abilities have grown richer in an incredibly short amount of time. Where she once recalled early (booze-free) Tom Waits, Gardot puts her own spin on rain-streaked jazz torch songs, sensual sambas and uptown blues. This album is structured along the lines of the film noir masterworks of Shirley Horn and Frank Sinatra, but Gardot keeps focused on her own style and sound. She even adds an upbeat reading of "Over the Rainbow" to counterbalance her chiaroscuro, Vertigo vibe. — N.D.
Bob Belden
Black Dahlia
After facing death, noted arranger Belden wrote this cinematic jazz suite for the dahlia-wearing beauty Elizabeth Short, whose brutal murder shocked America in 1947. Anyone who loves Chinatown or L.A. Confidential will want to steep themselves in this romantic ode to innocence lost in the City of Angels. — N.D.
Tom Waits
Blue Valentine
Tom Waits' colorfully crafted persona sometimes obscures the fact that he has always used imagery from old dime store novels, movies and torch songs. Take this fine platter from 1978, which houses the crime classics "Romeo Is Bleeding" and "Red Shoes by the Drugstore"; a freakishly romantic reading of West Side Story's "Somewhere"; and "Christmas Cards from a Hooker in Minneapolis," a heartbreaking narrative ballad that stands up to his all-time best tunes. The electric keyboard sound is a surprisingly fine addition to the mix, as is Waits sitting in with a host of off-kilter electric guitarists. The title track deserved to become a jazz standard. — N.D.
Massive Attack
Mezzanine
From the group who practically invented trip-hop, this highly anticipated third LP, Mezzanine, follows Massive Attack's crowd-pleasing method of laying down introspective rhymes over blunted beats and dub electronics. As on Protection, the most outstanding track features a special guest. This time it's "Teardrop," with Elizabeth Fraser of the Cocteau Twins. — Melissa Piazza
Terence Blanchard
Jazz in Film
Terence Blanchard wears twin hats as a jazz trumpeter and film composer. On this fine set, he does his own versions of famous jazz-inspired pieces from the movies. The tense reading of Ellington's "Anatomy of a Murder" is a study in group dynamics; the orchestral version of Andre Previn's "The Subterraneans" sounds like it's pouring off a screen in real time. While Blanchard's score for Clockers holds up to the classic movie scores, the single finest moments come from the wrenching reading of Jerry Goldsmith's Chinatown theme, featuring a beautiful solo from pianist Kenny Kirkland. — N.D.
Portishead
Roseland NYC Live
There is something pitch-perfect in the marriage of Portishead's resonant trip-hop with the grandeur of a symphony orchestra. To be sure, it was a special night in New York City when this gem was enacted (although, two of the tracks were recorded elsewhere). Beth Gibbons' voice is a pleading vibrato siren in a fathoms-deep soundscape, while the live horns, drums and turntables sparkle. Roseland NYC Live is a swan song of sorts — though they never officially disbanded, Portishead have been on indefinite hiatus since its release. — Nate Baker
Scott Walker
Scott 3
Scott Walker's best outing to date, this contains three (violent, disturbing, romantic) Jacques Brel covers, plus plenty of originals and a number of antiwar songs. "Rosemary" is as powerful and vivid as a Tennessee Williams play, while "It's Raining Today" is a brilliant, impressionistic memoir of the songwriter's young days wandering America, and the acoustic "30 Century Man" would lend itself to a fine feature documentary on Walker's elusive (though highly rewarding) career. This was Walker's final U.K. hit album; after this he became the cult artist he had always sounded like. — N.D.
Billie Holiday
Solitude
Billie Holiday's first album for Verve Records, Solitude finds the vocalist backed by a septet that includes pianist Oscar Peterson, guitarist Barney Kessel, saxophonist Flip Phillips and Charlie Shavers on trumpet. Norman Granz has Lady Day revisit a couple of tunes, and he wisely has her sing standards, most of which were minted by Frank Sinatra (Holiday's No. 1 fan). Other artists have equaled the readings of the songs here, but it's debated whether anybody ever surpassed them. It's hard to go for top honors; we'll elect "Autumn in New York." — N.D.
Arthur H
Adieu Tristesse
French singer-songwriter Arthur H links old chanson masters like Charles Aznavour and Jacques Brel with the cooler, ironic style of Serge Gainsbourg and the equally whiskey-soaked sound of beatnick-era Tom Waits. Arthur H's cinematic style gets its finest showcase on this 2005 set, which features a guest appearance from a pre-fame Feist and from Arthur's father, Jacques Higelan, a legendary artist who is still revered by indie rockers. The entire album plays like an intoxicating haze, and Arthur H's narrative tales are transfixing even if you don't understand a word he says. Start with the duet "La Chanson Du Satie" and then go to "Le Chercheur d'Or," a gripping tale of a French fortune seeker who is thrilled to (barely) survive the California Gold Rush. — N.D.
Julie London
Around Midnight
The best Julie London records are usually the ones where she's backed by small jazz groups or quality big bands. Thankfully this lush, orchestral torch-song set from 1960 ranks among the finest albums of London's career, regardless of the format (and it includes a couple of swingers). The string charts really aren't that compelling, but London commits throughout, painting bleakly romantic narratives worthy of classic film noir. Highlights include "Black Coffee," "But Not for Me" and a reading of Peggy Lee's "Don't Smoke in Bed" that is so intense, it may clue new listeners in to the lyric's "leaving an alcoholic" subtext. — N.D.
Keren Ann
Nolita
Keren Ann, who divides her time between Paris and New York, has created a theme album that captures the feeling of being alone in a new town and excited about the future, but missing your old life. Her French tracks play like moody nocturnal memories, while the American ones have a sweeter — but more vulnerable — feeling. The more you listen, the more unique it becomes. — N.D.
To check out more jazzy noir themes, go to this playlist.
Noir Radio: Moon & Sand - Cool West Coast Jazz
The album got me thinking about other albums that have the emotional pull of film noir, so while you're listening to the Charlie Haden Quartet West's Sophisticated Ladies, here are some other collections that match music with darkly cinematic moods. There is plenty of jazz here for you to (re)discover, but there's also rock, trip-hop and world music that dim the lights and set the stage for a twilight landscape where romance, heartbreak and short-lived rebounds collide with murder, mystery and uptown nightclubs that always feature a femme fatale as the central attraction.
You can add these albums to your Rhapsody collections, and we've also included specially made playlists and radio stations to keep you in a movie frame of mind from dawn to dusk. To start you off, here are selections from the cinema-soaked selections below.
Charlie Haden Quartet WestHaunted Heart
Charlie Haden had been universally revered in the jazz community for decades when this 1992 concept album with his Quartet West bop supergroup crossed him over to a mass audience. Haden, a film buff, uses the darkly romantic mood of noir mysteries such as The Big Sleep and Out of the Past to propel what is essentially a hardcore bop set. Haden and his secret weapon, pianist Alan Broadbent, combine originals, movie themes and standards seamlessly with a couple of hardcore jazz pieces while the long-lost voices of Billie Holiday, Jo Stafford and Jeri Southern waft in like cool breezes on a balmy night. — Nick Dedina
To hear more of Charlie Haden Quartet West, check out this playlist.
To check out noir solo selections by the star vocalists on Sophisticated Ladies, go here.
Frank SinatraIn the Wee Small Hours
This exquisite after-hours ballad set was the first of Sinatra's dark heartbreak albums, and overall one of his most influential albums. Nelson Riddle's arrangements are so subtle that you don't even notice when a small jazz group replaces the orchestra. Along with Sinatra's upbeat Songs for Swingin' Lovers, this platter became the blueprint for pop and jazz releases of the 1950s. — N.D.
Carlos FranzettiFilm Noir
Carlos Franzetti keeps his seat at the piano but focuses on his orchestral writing for this tribute to jazz movie themes. He also leaves plenty of room for alto saxophonist Andy Fusco's solos. Only about half the movies featured are crime movies, though they often make for the highlights, from John Barry's sensual "Body Heat" theme and the barroom bop of Johnny Mandel's "I Want to Live" to Bernard Herrmann's brilliant music for "Taxi Driver." Franzetti strips away the orchestra for Herbie Hancock's "Still Time" and brings the strings back in for David Raksin's "The Bad and the Beautiful." — N.D.
Melody GardotMy One and Only Thrill
This young singer-songwriter seemed to arrive fully formed on her debut. But this follow-up shows that Melody Gardot's abilities have grown richer in an incredibly short amount of time. Where she once recalled early (booze-free) Tom Waits, Gardot puts her own spin on rain-streaked jazz torch songs, sensual sambas and uptown blues. This album is structured along the lines of the film noir masterworks of Shirley Horn and Frank Sinatra, but Gardot keeps focused on her own style and sound. She even adds an upbeat reading of "Over the Rainbow" to counterbalance her chiaroscuro, Vertigo vibe. — N.D.
Bob BeldenBlack Dahlia
After facing death, noted arranger Belden wrote this cinematic jazz suite for the dahlia-wearing beauty Elizabeth Short, whose brutal murder shocked America in 1947. Anyone who loves Chinatown or L.A. Confidential will want to steep themselves in this romantic ode to innocence lost in the City of Angels. — N.D.
Tom WaitsBlue Valentine
Tom Waits' colorfully crafted persona sometimes obscures the fact that he has always used imagery from old dime store novels, movies and torch songs. Take this fine platter from 1978, which houses the crime classics "Romeo Is Bleeding" and "Red Shoes by the Drugstore"; a freakishly romantic reading of West Side Story's "Somewhere"; and "Christmas Cards from a Hooker in Minneapolis," a heartbreaking narrative ballad that stands up to his all-time best tunes. The electric keyboard sound is a surprisingly fine addition to the mix, as is Waits sitting in with a host of off-kilter electric guitarists. The title track deserved to become a jazz standard. — N.D.
Massive AttackMezzanine
From the group who practically invented trip-hop, this highly anticipated third LP, Mezzanine, follows Massive Attack's crowd-pleasing method of laying down introspective rhymes over blunted beats and dub electronics. As on Protection, the most outstanding track features a special guest. This time it's "Teardrop," with Elizabeth Fraser of the Cocteau Twins. — Melissa Piazza
Terence BlanchardJazz in Film
Terence Blanchard wears twin hats as a jazz trumpeter and film composer. On this fine set, he does his own versions of famous jazz-inspired pieces from the movies. The tense reading of Ellington's "Anatomy of a Murder" is a study in group dynamics; the orchestral version of Andre Previn's "The Subterraneans" sounds like it's pouring off a screen in real time. While Blanchard's score for Clockers holds up to the classic movie scores, the single finest moments come from the wrenching reading of Jerry Goldsmith's Chinatown theme, featuring a beautiful solo from pianist Kenny Kirkland. — N.D.
PortisheadRoseland NYC Live
There is something pitch-perfect in the marriage of Portishead's resonant trip-hop with the grandeur of a symphony orchestra. To be sure, it was a special night in New York City when this gem was enacted (although, two of the tracks were recorded elsewhere). Beth Gibbons' voice is a pleading vibrato siren in a fathoms-deep soundscape, while the live horns, drums and turntables sparkle. Roseland NYC Live is a swan song of sorts — though they never officially disbanded, Portishead have been on indefinite hiatus since its release. — Nate Baker
Scott WalkerScott 3
Scott Walker's best outing to date, this contains three (violent, disturbing, romantic) Jacques Brel covers, plus plenty of originals and a number of antiwar songs. "Rosemary" is as powerful and vivid as a Tennessee Williams play, while "It's Raining Today" is a brilliant, impressionistic memoir of the songwriter's young days wandering America, and the acoustic "30 Century Man" would lend itself to a fine feature documentary on Walker's elusive (though highly rewarding) career. This was Walker's final U.K. hit album; after this he became the cult artist he had always sounded like. — N.D.
Billie HolidaySolitude
Billie Holiday's first album for Verve Records, Solitude finds the vocalist backed by a septet that includes pianist Oscar Peterson, guitarist Barney Kessel, saxophonist Flip Phillips and Charlie Shavers on trumpet. Norman Granz has Lady Day revisit a couple of tunes, and he wisely has her sing standards, most of which were minted by Frank Sinatra (Holiday's No. 1 fan). Other artists have equaled the readings of the songs here, but it's debated whether anybody ever surpassed them. It's hard to go for top honors; we'll elect "Autumn in New York." — N.D.
Arthur HAdieu Tristesse
French singer-songwriter Arthur H links old chanson masters like Charles Aznavour and Jacques Brel with the cooler, ironic style of Serge Gainsbourg and the equally whiskey-soaked sound of beatnick-era Tom Waits. Arthur H's cinematic style gets its finest showcase on this 2005 set, which features a guest appearance from a pre-fame Feist and from Arthur's father, Jacques Higelan, a legendary artist who is still revered by indie rockers. The entire album plays like an intoxicating haze, and Arthur H's narrative tales are transfixing even if you don't understand a word he says. Start with the duet "La Chanson Du Satie" and then go to "Le Chercheur d'Or," a gripping tale of a French fortune seeker who is thrilled to (barely) survive the California Gold Rush. — N.D.
Julie LondonAround Midnight
The best Julie London records are usually the ones where she's backed by small jazz groups or quality big bands. Thankfully this lush, orchestral torch-song set from 1960 ranks among the finest albums of London's career, regardless of the format (and it includes a couple of swingers). The string charts really aren't that compelling, but London commits throughout, painting bleakly romantic narratives worthy of classic film noir. Highlights include "Black Coffee," "But Not for Me" and a reading of Peggy Lee's "Don't Smoke in Bed" that is so intense, it may clue new listeners in to the lyric's "leaving an alcoholic" subtext. — N.D.
Keren AnnNolita
Keren Ann, who divides her time between Paris and New York, has created a theme album that captures the feeling of being alone in a new town and excited about the future, but missing your old life. Her French tracks play like moody nocturnal memories, while the American ones have a sweeter — but more vulnerable — feeling. The more you listen, the more unique it becomes. — N.D.
To check out more jazzy noir themes, go to this playlist.
Noir Radio: Moon & Sand - Cool West Coast Jazz
Portions of album content provided by All Music Guide © 2011 All Media Guide, LLC ® 1999-2011 Rhapsody International Inc.
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