Don Ellis - The French Connection (33 tracks) +Album Reviews

Search - Don Ellis :: The French Connection [Original Motion Picture Sounddtrack]

Don Ellis
The French Connection [Original Motion Picture Sounddtrack]
Genres: Pop, Soundtracks

Track Listings (33) - Disc #1
1. Main Title [From the French Connection] - Ellis, Don
2. The Charnier [From the French Connection]
3. The Copstail [From the French Connection]
4. The The Old Fort [From the French Connection]
5. The Staking Out Sal [From the French Connection]
6. The The Car [From the French Connection]
7. The Popeye Blues [From the French Connection]
8. The Bugging Sal and Angie [From the French Connection]
9. The Hotel Chase [From the French Connection]
10. The Subway [From the French Connection]
11. The The Shot [From the French Connection]
12. The This Is It [From the French Connection]
13. The Lincoln Blues [From the French Connection]
14. The Rocker Panels [From the French Connection]
15. The Au Revoir [From the French Connection]
16. The The Last Roundup [From "The French Connection"]
17. The Frog One Is in That Room [From the French Connection]
18. The End Title [From the French Connection]
19. The Main Title / Waterfront [From French Connection II]
20. The Boat Ride [From French Connection II]
21. The Popeye's Montage [From French Connection II]
22. The Volleyball [From French Connection II]
23. The Hit [From French Connection II]
24. The Heroin [From French Connection II]
25. The O.D. [From French Connection II]
26. The Pain [From French Connection II]
27. The Rehabilitation [From French Connection II]
28. The Revenge [From French Connection II]
29. The Boat Bottom / Drydock [From French Connection II]
30. The Stalking / Here Come the Cops [From French Connection II]
31. The Big Chase [From French Connection II]
32. The Exhaustion [From French Connection II]
33. The End Title [From French Connection II]

CD Details

All Artists: Don Ellis
Title: The French Connection [Original Motion Picture Sounddtrack]
Members Wishing: 3
Total Copies: 0
Label: Film Score Monthly
Original Release Date: 5/21/1975
Re-Release Date: 1/11/2005
Album Type: Soundtrack
Genres: Pop, Soundtracks
Style:
Number of Discs: 1
SwapaCD Credits: 1
UPCs: 638558002926, 5035462110764

CD Reviews

A must

William R. Nicholas | Mahwah, NJ USA | 06/08/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"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.

One minor gripe: in the 1971 film, there is a great number by the Three Degrees, and some Wha Wha funk in a bar in the first scene. Both of these pieces would have been nice little gimmies if included here."