His contribution to the Batman TV series' third season has been commented on in past threads. I've loved just about anything he's touched from the great The Naked City theme to his work with Mr. Horner in Field Of Dreams and Batteries Not Included and beyond. But the other night I'm watching the Joan Collins episodes with the Dynamic Duo and in one of them I heard a sax sound that the mind's ear said hey wait a second, I've heard that sound before. After a few moments it hit me where. And through the miracle of youtube...sonofagun you've done it again old chum; listen to the very first four notes and then catch the orchestration credits (hell catch all the music credits!):
And through the miracle of youtube...sonofagun you've done it again old chum; listen to the very first four notes and then catch the orchestration credits (hell catch all the music credits!):
I've longed to see a complete set of individual cue credits for this film, like they do on the MGM releases. I seem to recall a lot of Skip Martin's sound in this film.
LOL now David I am going to have to take that personally since I played tenor sax in a rather swinging dance band in high school--and it was the same high school that Mr. Riddle graduated from! Of course, he was of the WW2 generation while I of the Boomers. Yeesh. But I must confess to "slurping" on occasion, to which my ancient audiocassette of "Serenade in Blue" still attests. Not to mention another number called "Ringin' and Swingin'."
I wonder if May ever got tired of doing (or having to do) that sound.
On the contrary: Arrangers who developed signature devices liked to think of creative ways of using them at unexpected places in arrangements. It would become something of an inside joke shared between the arrangers and the listeners who knew their work.
Gordon Jenkins employed a similar recurring device, alternating between an augmented and major chord on the tonic. It became his musical signature.
I suspect that a lot of other composers and arrangers wished that they could come up with something as instantly recognizable as those used by Billy May and Gordon Jenkins.
I already knew and remembered fondly those first four notes, but I never knew they were a Billy May signature, even with a lifetime of enjoying his song arrangements. Thanks, Uncle Howard.
(Too bad that even with letterboxing the Youtube image squeezes the Cinemascope. Not even Fred was ever really THAT skinny.)
I had a premonition you'd be stopping by, Preston. Cheers.
I suspect that a lot of other composers and arrangers wished that they could come up with something as instantly recognizable as those used by Billy May and Gordon Jenkins.
On the contrary: Arrangers who developed signature devices liked to think of creative ways of using them at unexpected places in arrangements. It would become something of an inside joke shared between the arrangers and the listeners who knew their work.
Some yes, some no. I'm not remembering right away any names who got tired of being associated with some sound that became a signature device. I'll see if I can dig any out.
I suspect that a lot of other composers and arrangers wished that they could come up with something as instantly recognizable as those used by Billy May and Gordon Jenkins.
I wonder.
Plus, I can't imagine it being THAT hard to come up with something. Now, coming up with something AND having it be popular.... THAT would be hard.
Plus, I can't imagine it being THAT hard to come up with something. Now, coming up with something AND having it be popular.... THAT would be hard.
Well, that's just it, finding one particular device that catches on with listeners. In fact, I am trying to think of devices used by arrangers that were as recognizable as Billy May's slurred saxes playing in thirds and Gordon Jenkins alternating between the augmented chord and major. There must be many others, but in going through my mental rolodex of arrangers, I am coming up blank.
