Crime & Suspense

From gum shoes to fedoras, the crime dramas of film noir and television are riddled with clichés (like that one). In the obligatory nightclub scene, Johnny Stacatto sits in with the band in which Jack Costanzo is already bongo-ing up a frenzy; a "lovely tomato" breathes wisps of torch smoke into the microphone; sweat rises on brows, and the din rises just enough to muffle the single shot hitting its target in a back room. The brassy themes, calculated to excite, become numbing through repetition. But weary as the generic, down-on-his-luck dick may be, at least he is not as tired as James Bond.

"Crime jazz" sometimes means Hollywood jazz but more often arranged pop, even if scored and played to emulate jazz. Key elements are tension-building suspense (percussion and horn bursts) and the downtempo, wistful romance of the lonely private eye of fiction (horn solos). "Richard Diamond" and "Harlem Nocturne" are respective examples. Some themes, such as "The Pink Panther," convey the stealth of a private eye or cat burglar. The "suspense" extension of the idiom includes psychological thrillers, lurid urban/domestic yarns, and would-be crime tales. Alfred Hitchcock and Kenyon Hopkins are examples. Batman and the Green Hornet occupy a special place in the general instrumental guitar-rock melange of surf, hot rod, etc.

Movies scored by Henry Mancini, such as "Touch of Evil," are obvious sources of crime themes. But the suspense impulse runs from mod 1960s brass, such as Al Caiola and the Power of Brass' cover of "The Odd Couple" theme, to the "exotica noir" of Les Baxter's Jungle Jazz. The greatest yet least likely suspense tune may be "Waikiki at Midnight," a heavy, hippie, hilarious narrative from Jack de Mello's very strange, boxed-set tribute to Kui Lee. Crime is where you find it, and suspense is in the hunt.

Buying: The classics have been covered so often, it is easy to find favorite versions, both pop and jazz, even on budget labels. Avoid either of Mundell Lowe's gratuitous TV Action Jazz LPs. Covet the Det Moor LP.