Anatomy of a Murder

Product Details

Artist : Duke Ellington
Format : Soundtrack
Binding : Audio CD
EAN : 5099706956921
Label : Sony Jazz
Number of Discs : 1
Product Group : Music
Release Date : 1999-05-10

ASIN : B0000257FI

Track Listings for

Disc-1
1. Main Title/Anatomy Of A Murder
2. Flirtibird
3. Way Early Subtone
4. Hero To Zero
5. Low Key Lightly
6. Happy Anatomy
7. Midnight Indigo
8. Almost Cried
9. Sunswept Sunday
10. Grace Valse
11. Happy Anatomy (PI Five)
12. Haupe
13. Upper And Outset
14. Anatomy Of A Murder
15. Merrily Rolling Along/Sunswept Sunday
16. Beer Garden
17. Happy Anatomy
18. Polly
19. Polly (Movie Stings)
20. Happy Anatomy (Dixieland)
21. More Blues
22. Almost Cried
23. Anatomy Of A Murder
24. Anatomy Of A Murder
25. Grand Finale
26. Pause Track

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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.co.uk Review

This was Duke's first full-length movie soundtrack commission, Otto Preminger's 1959 dark courtroom drama providing ample scope for sweeping dramatic contrast. Here, the original 35-minute LP is augmented by over 40 minutes of rare, hitherto unreleased bits and pieces, ranging from mono and stereo single versions of the main title theme to a DJ-only Ellington interview mock-up, from an incongruous Dixieland sextet to a gargling strangulation scene. The main body contains a surfeit of hard-boiled horn-bruising, sleazy, sexual small talk transformed into precision scoring, repeatedly stopping short for a beguiling interlude or two, none more impressive than "Low Key Lightly", with its aching Ray Nance violin solo, a completely naked sound. Duke frequently switches palettes to striking effect, the celeste chimes of "Midnight Indigo" shimmering against Harry Carney's froggy bass clarinet, "Sunswept Sunday" offering a churchy, pastoral wander, "Grace Valse" spinning gracefully, eyes closed. The whole shebang ends with Cat Anderson's stunning high-note spits on "Upper And Outest", attaining a spine-tingling level rarely heard, even on the trumpet. As a further goad, the crammed booklet boasts some anally-obsessive session details, an engaging appreciation from Wynton Marsalis and a structural analysis from Phil Schaap. --Martin Longley

Customer Reviews

Intense, varied, DUKE! (2000-10-19)

This is Duke's soundtrack to a 1959 Otto Preminger film. The sound is pure Ellington at its best. The tracks on the original release are integrated by many additions (such as alternate takes, rehearsals and whatnot). The additions, however, are not always musically outstanding, only just over half of the time. That's why I gave this CD only 4 out of 5 stars, which for a CD of this length is a high score. You'll get about 70 minutes of music, with 50 minutes who belong in the best orchestral jazz ever heard.

Here are a few details about the music. The soloists are--you bet--top notch, but space for improvised solos (as opposed to written ones) is less than we are accustomed to. I guess Duke approached the soundtrack work with a mentality somewhat different from his ordinary.

The themes are good as ever, from the Main Title to the romantic "Midnight Indigo", passing through the small reduced-personnel gem "Sunswept Sunday", solemn in the A section and light in the clarinet (written) solo B section. This track has probably been edited-reassembled in the mixing room (there are two apparently identical repetitions of the A-B structure, and the junction is musically awkward to my ear), but so what? The liner notes say that in the movie you could only listen to a few seconds of this piece. Also "Almost Cried" is an instant classic. I bet your favorites might vary from mine, because the quality is high throughout.

Summing up, this record is a must for Duke's lovers and a good listen for anyone who likes good jazz.

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