Noirish, Pulpish Standards and Substandards

[GA Russell]

 

 

[medjuck]

3 hours ago, Teasing the Korean said:

That is especially good! From the same show as "All the Sad Young Men."

 

What show? I know they're written by the same people but didn't know they were from a show. 

[Teasing the Korean]

21 minutes ago, medjuck said:

What show? I know they're written by the same people but didn't know they were from a show. 

"The Nervous Set," a short-lived Broadway show about the Beat Generation. I think there was a cast album. (I never heard it.)

26 minutes ago, GA Russell said:

 

 

Yes!

[medjuck]

Lost in the Stars-- the Tony Bennett, Count Basie version, though I'm sure the Lotte Lenya version would suffice. 

[Teasing the Korean]

"Something Cool."

[sgcim]

20 hours ago, Teasing the Korean said:

"The Nervous Set," a short-lived Broadway show about the Beat Generation. I think there was a cast album. (I never heard it.)

Yes!

I was disappointed by the cast album of "The Nervous Set". Even though it had Kenny Burrell in the band, the rest of Tommy Wolf and Fran Landesman's songs were nowhere near SCRHYUTM and ATSYM.

"Golden Boy", the musical by Charles Strouse had some other noir-ish type tunes like "While The City Sleeps" which takes place during a game of poker with a bunch of guys with nicknames like 'Judge', and their night time activities.

"Rules of the Road" was a song that had those desperate noir-type lyrics that only transients could relate to.

[Teasing the Korean]

3 minutes ago, sgcim said:

I was disappointed by the cast album of "The Nervous Set". Even though it had Kenny Burrell in the band, the rest of Tommy Wolf and Fran Landesman's songs were nowhere near SCRHYUTM and ATSYM.

"Golden Boy", the musical by Charles Strouse had some other noir-ish type tunes like "While The City Sleeps" which takes place during a game of poker 

"Rules of the Road" was a song that had those desperate noir-type lyrics that only transients could relate to.

Thanks. These are the kinds of tunes I'm really trying to uncover, B-list songs like "Lonelyville" and "Detour Ahead" that you can imagine being sung by a husky-voiced, down-on-her-luck female singer in a dive bar. I don't think I know "Rules of the Road," but that title is promising.

A sub-category that kind of fits with this aesthetic is gambling songs like "I'm Shooting High" and "Who's Got the Action."

[sgcim]

Imagine hearing this one in a bar at 3:00am sung by Shirley Horn

 

[duaneiac]

22 hours ago, Teasing the Korean said:

"Guess I'll Hang My Tears Out to Dry."

Lots of stuff Frank does on his heartbreak albums are possibilities, but some of those don't really fit. 

Also, some substandards that Frank may never have recorded. 

 

[Teasing the Korean]

4 minutes ago, sgcim said:

Imagine hearing this one in a bar at 3:00am sung by Shirley Horn

 

This is perfect. I have heard this. I have somebody doing this but I can't remember who.

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'Tis Autumn

Edited May 17, 2020 by Teasing the Korean

[sgcim]

Here's an instrumental that DR wrote captures the mood of city noir very well. No lyrics, though:

 

[Teasing the Korean]

Bob Dorough and Dave Frishberg must have some tunes in this genre.

[JSngry]

 

[duaneiac]

 

[Teasing the Korean]

30 minutes ago, JSngry said:

 

Yes! David Lynch!

The transition at the one-minute mark never fails to terrify me. It's like you've been drugged and you're waking up hours later. You have to experience it in context, though.

 

Edited May 17, 2020 by Teasing the Korean

[medjuck]

1 hour ago, sgcim said:

Here's an instrumental that DR wrote captures the mood of city noir very well. No lyrics, though:

 

Directed by the always underrated Joseph H Lewis but I notice that the writer Phillip Yordan gets a "by" credit.  Music seems a little on the nose for this thread. 

[Teasing the Korean]

"While the Music Plays On," especially Tony Bennett's version from his early album "Cloud 7."

Does "Harlem Nocturne" have lyrics?

[JohnJ]

"Lush Life" would seem to fit the bill. Thinking of the Coltrane/Hartman version naturally.

[danasgoodstuff]

"I Thought About You", "Everything Happens to Me",  "The Good Life",  can all be interpreted to fit this mood, IMHO, YMMV.

[Quasimado]

"These Foolish Things"; How Deep is the Ocean" ...

[sgcim]

Check out the lyrics on the bridge, "Put the Stan Getz record on".

 

[JSngry]

 

 

[Milestones]

Are you familiar with the noirish albums by Charlie Haden's Quartet West?  For me, everything works on the albums Haunted Heart and Always Say Goodbye, including the use of the Warner Brothers theme and the excerpts from Raymond Chandler.   

[sgcim]

20 hours ago, JSngry said:

 

 

Yeah, that's a good one. I used to do a lot of gigs with this weird chick singer that specialized in songs like that. She did "When the Sun Comes Out", in addition to "I'm a Fool to Want You". She'd come out half-crocked with make-up that made her look like Norma Desmond, and hit on all the young musicians in the band. She'd wear dresses that emphasized her cleavage. On her card it said "Vocalist with Woody Herman, Stan Kenton and Tommy Dorsey", but she never recorded with them as far as I can tell. The only thing I found was a TV appearance with Frank Sinatra. She was actually a pretty hip singer, who did a lot of hip things with the time.:

 

[Mark13]

'Laura' by David Raksin was the title-song to Otto Preminger's 1944 movie - a classic in the noir-genre. it quickly became a standard thereafter and there have been numerous great jazz-interpretations, but none (i feel) as gorgeous as Clifford Brown's version on his 'With Strings'-album.

For noir -aficionados who just cannot get enough (and aren't aware of the record) - Bob Belden's imaginary soundtrack 'Black Dahlia' captures the mood (cliche's and all) to a t.

 

Edited August 7, 2020 by Mark13