Don Ellis - French Connection Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (1971-1975)

Don Ellis - French Connection Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (1971-1975)
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Don Ellis was a hot item in 1971. He had done a few big band albums that sounded like Doc Severson plugged into Frank Zappa'a sound system, and was opening a lot of rock shows, back in the era when you could get rock and roll kids to listen to and appreciate jazz.

So, Billy Friedkin makes French Connection, and gets Don to score it. Billy must have known he had a hit on his hands, and wanted a big name to put on the composer credit. Ellis does an entire, half hour score for the movie. Not a lot of this music made it into the film: evidently, Billy wanted to have a gritty film with lots of street noises, and, tastefully edited Don's score to bare bones. It works in the movie, but a lot of really good music never saw the light of day.

That is, until this CD was released on 2002. This is Ellis' full score: big band funk jazz, with lots of dark overtones, light and shades, and very creepy dynamics. This is the music of early 70s new york; men in fadoras and black ties walking down rainy ally ways. Sun setting over burned out buildings. Ellis has blasts of sound, followed by menacing, whispering synthasizer passages. His trumput is sometimes a creeping flashlight, sometimes a machine gun. It ecchos, screams, and moans like a junkie.

French Connection II, where the Frog kidnaps Doyle and hooks him to junk, was made in 1975. Ellis does an equally atmospheric score, slightly more funky, as this type of music had by 75' seeped far deeper into jazz. The film takes place in France, but the score has equal impact.

You don't hear a lot of this type of music anymore, especially on film soundtracks. Completely atmospheric, emotional music. Brillant work.


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Tracklist:
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The French Connection I Soundtrack (1971)

01. Don Ellis - Main Title
02. Don Ellis - Charnier
03. Don Ellis - Copstail
04. Don Ellis - The Old Fort
05. Don Ellis - Staking Out Old Sal
06. Don Ellis - The Car
07. Don Ellis - Popeye Blues
08. Don Ellis - Bugging Sal and Angie
09. Don Ellis - Hotel Chase
10. Don Ellis - Subway
11. Don Ellis - The Shot
12. Don Ellis - This Is It
13. Don Ellis - Lincoln Blues
14. Don Ellis - Rocker Panels
15. Don Ellis - Au Revoir
16. Don Ellis - The Last Roundup
17. Don Ellis - Frog One Is in That Room
18. Don Ellis - End Title

The French Connection II Soundtrack (1975)

19. Don Ellis - Main Title / Waterfront
20. Don Ellis - Boat Ride
21. Don Ellis - Popeye's Montage
22. Don Ellis - Volleyball
23. Don Ellis - Hit
24. Don Ellis - Heroin
25. Don Ellis - O.D.
26. Don Ellis - Pain
27. Don Ellis - Rehabilitation
28. Don Ellis - Revenge
29. Don Ellis - Boat Bottom / Drydock
30. Don Ellis - Stalking / Here Come the Cops
31. Don Ellis - Big Chase
32. Don Ellis - Exhaustion
33. Don Ellis - End Title

*2003 Film Score / 20th Century Fox | FSM 04-06



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