Bob Sneider and
Joe Locke's follow-up to Fallen Angel, their first Film Noir Project, follows the same formula, blending creative arrangements of music written for movies with enticing originals that are worthy of being utilized in soundtracks. Joining the guitarist and vibraphonist once more are trumpeter
John Sneider, tenor saxophonist
Grant Stewart, and pianist Paul Hofmann, with newcomers including bassist
Martin Wind, drummer
Tim Horner, and percussionist
Luisito Quintero.
John Sneider's breezy setting of "Last Tango in Paris" is brisker than
Gato Barbieri's original conception, filled with terrific solos and tight ensembles. The sexy ballad "Afterglow" shimmers as it shifts focus between
Sneider's muted trumpet and Hofmann's lush piano. "Laura" has long been considered a standard, but
Locke's adaptation almost seems to float in the air, with a tense vamp underneath the deliberately played melody.
Bob Sneider's intricate acoustic guitar introduces
Michel Legrand's haunting "Windmills of Your Mind," shifting to an implied Latin flavor as the theme is stated, with a creative horn ensemble behind the piano and vibes. The tension is prominent in Chris Ziemba's scoring of
Johnny Mandel's "I Want to Live," while
Stewart's playful arrangement of
Duke Ellington's "Flirtibird" brings this decades-old gem into the 21st century. The originals also merit praise, especially
Locke's dark ballad "Nocturne for Ava" and Hofmann's humorous "Kiss Me, Kill Me," a light-hearted mini-film noir, complete with a murder in its midst. ~ Ken Dryden