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Soundcheck / April 17, 2008 / When Movies Pulsed to the Beat of Jazz

When Movies Pulsed to the Beat of Jazz

Thursday, April 17, 2008

Before 80-piece orchestras milked the last drop out of every film, jazz scores were all the rage in American films, and they were wildly up front. As MoMa opens an exhibit this week on the golden age of original jazz scores for film, WNYC’s Sara Fishko reports on that vibrant time in the 50s.

Museum of Modern Art Web site


Comments

  • [1] John from Brooklyn April 17, 2008 - 02:49PM

    I believe "Elevator to the Gallows" was actually the first film to have an original score by a "real" jazz musician -- in this case, Miles Davis. The film was released in France in January of 1958 and the US in June of the same year. "I Want to Live" was released in November 1958, well after both dates, and was probably not even shot before "Elevator" came out in Europe. (All data from IMDB.)
  • [2] John from Brooklyn April 17, 2008 - 02:56PM

    Correction: "Elevator" was not released in the US until 1961, but that doesn't really effect the fact that, according to IMDB, "I Want to Live" does not feature the first Jazz score by a "real" Jazz musician (as I remember Fisko putting it) . Release data here:

    http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0051378/releaseinfo

This thread is closed.


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