Duke Ellington - Anatomy of a Murder (Original Soundtrack) [Spain Import]

Duke Ellington scored Otto Preminger's Anatomy of a Murder in 1959 and turned a courtroom drama into one of the great jazz soundtracks. This limited Spanish import is pressed on 180 gram vinyl and adds bonus tracks to the original album.

Preminger handed Ellington the entire score, and Ellington, writing with his longtime partner Billy Strayhorn, answered with music as moody, sly and grown-up as the film itself. He even turns up on screen, playing piano as a character called Pie-Eye. The work went on to win three Grammy Awards, including Best Sound Track Album.

Main Title and Anatomy of a Murder bursts in with brassy, swaggering menace, all blaring trumpets and prowling rhythm. Flirtibird is the slinkiest thing here, Johnny Hodges' alto curling around the melody with unmistakable suggestion. Low Key Lightly slows to a smoky, after-hours glow, while Happy Anatomy kicks up its heels with a loose, swinging bounce.

The orchestra is stacked with Ellington regulars, from Paul Gonsalves and Harry Carney to Clark Terry and Ray Nance, and every one of them gets a moment to shine.

It plays beautifully as an Ellington album in its own right, full of the band's trademark colours and characters. For jazz fans and film buffs alike, this is a sharp, stylish slice of Hollywood history.