Product Description

This volume explores the strange and commonly misunderstood relationship between jazz music and the film noire genre. Jazz has been associated with crime and immorality since early forms of the music were heard in the brothels of New Orleans and the ganster-owned clubs of the 1920s. This association encouraged the use of jazz in film noir, a genre preoccupied with tales of anxiety and urban decay, which flourished in American cinema during the postwar period. Making significant use of archival sources and documentation, this book seeks to examine this "collaboration", placing the films discussed in their proper historical context and utilizing an interdisciplinary approach that gives equal weight to the films - including such notables as "Phantom Lady", "I Want to Live!" and "Taxi Driver" - and to the indelible music that accompanied them.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #405633 in Books
• Published on: 2002-03-30
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 256 pages

Review
?This is a welcome study of the various conjunctions of jazz and film noir. Butler both sees and hears well, and his cogent descriptions are convincing. He does not just round up the usual suspects but treats a number of films less often discussed by either film or music scholars and critics. He puts his topic in context, discussing racism in Hollywood and the narrowness of Hollywood executives' conceptualization of jazz and jazz musicians. Butler buttresses his work with ample citations of internal studio memos and scholarly references...this is a lovely and informative study, recommended for anyone interested either in film or jazz, from the general reader to the specialist.?-CHOICE

Customer Reviews

Jazz Noir
This book is invaluable for anybody studying media, or for just an interest in film noir/film music. Well worth the asking price.