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Kritzerland is proud to present a world premiere limited edition soundtrack CD release:
TOO LATE BLUES
Music Composed by David Raksin
Too Late Blues (1962) is certainly one of the greatest films ever made about the jazz world. Despite being a studio movie and being scripted, it feels like jazz, like an improvisation. Given the maverick nature of John Cassavetes and the rawness of his first film, Shadows, it was truly bold of Paramount Pictures to hand the reins of a big studio production to someone like Cassavetes. But that’s exactly what happened with Too Late Blues. It was a perfect match between subject matter and filmmaker. In 1959, Cassavetes had starred in a TV series called Johnny Staccato, playing a jazzman who moonlights as a detective.
Too Late Blues is a beautifully made film, with great performances and gorgeous black-and-white photography, and a score to die for, by the great David Raksin. There is a lot of jazz in Too Late Blues. The easy way out would have been to do standards, but Raksin wrote all original music for the film, even for the source cues. And what music it is – Raksin at his best, and Raksin at his best is as good as it gets. It didn’t hurt that he was working with some of the best West Coast jazz players of that era, including Red Mitchell, Benny Carter, Shelly Manne, Jimmy Rowles, Milt Bernhart, and the best studio musicians anyone could hope for – including the amazing trumpet player Uan Rasey.
Raksin wrote one of his most exquisite and inspired themes for the film, which he titled “A Song After Sundown.” It’s heard in jazz guises, within the dramatic score, and even as a vocalise performed by Stella Stevens’ character. It’s a haunting, melancholy theme filled with sadness and yearning – classic Raksin, as are the jazz cues and the dramatic score. It’s all of a piece – absolute perfection in the picture and wonderful to listen to outside the film as well.
This is the world-premiere release of Too Late Blues. We had access to the scoring session masters and the original prerecords done for the “live” playing in the film. The latter were all recorded in one-track mono, while the score cues and some of the source cues were recorded in three-track stereo. Given how the music functions in the film (the first dramatic score cue occurs over an hour into the film), we took a different approach in sequencing the album, trying for an optimal listening experience rather than strict film order – which would have given an hour of jazz cues before the first score cue. We have included all the music written for the film – first the film cues, and then a bonus section filled with alternates and various odds and ends, over seventy-six minutes of prime David Raksin.
Too Late Blues is limited to 1000 copies only. The price is $19.98, plus shipping.
CD will ship the final week of June, but preorders placed at Kritzerland usually ship one to five weeks early (we’ve been averaging four weeks). To place an order, see the cover, or hear audio samples, just visit www.kritzerland.com.
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Raksin!?!
ORDERED!!!!
#@$%in' ay.
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This was one of the titles I wanted most from Paramount. It's taken a long time to birth, but boy was it worth it.
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Marvelous. Thank you Mr Kimmel.
On reading some of Raksin's cue titles - they have a kind of 'elegance' to them !!
- JMM.
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Marvelous. Thank you Mr Kimmel.
On reading some of Raksin's cue titles - they have a kind of 'elegance' to them !!
- JMM.
The cue titles are pure Raksin.
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This is a lovely score! The cue "Look Inward, Angel," anticipates the tone and elegance of Barry's late 60's, early 70's scores, such as DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER and PETULIA.
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This is a lovely score! The cue "Look Inward, Angel," anticipates the tone and elegance of Barry's late 60's, early 70's scores, such as DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER and PETULIA.
I agree - I know there are many, many people on this board who won't even look at this thread, which is sad, but I encourage anyone who's on the fence to listen to the clips. This is yet another score from what is, for me, the greatest year in film music history, and I'm proud that we've done so many titles from that year.
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Unfamiliar with the film, but the sound samples are amazing...loved the main title music, which reminds somewhat of Laura.
Just ordered my copy!
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Unfamiliar with the film, but the sound samples are amazing...loved the main title music, which reminds somewhat of Laura.
Just ordered my copy!
Yes, the theme, "A Song After Sundown" is so beautiful, like Laura and The Bad and the Beautiful. Mr. Raksin could really write a tune!
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"A Song After Sundown" is one of my favorite Raksin pieces (his songbook has a version with lyrics by Livingston & Evans called "That's Loneliness," which is rather charming, too), and I'm incredibly excited to hear all of the music he wrote for the film in full, and in such wonderful sound.
Bravo to Kritzerland! This will certainly sit up with "Laura" and the "Legrand-Demy" set as one of my very favorite releases of the year!
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