Chico Hamilton Quintet / Elmer Bernstein, Sweet Smell Of Success

Label: El

A world away from the Ealing comedies on which his reputation was built, Alexander Mackendrick’s Sweet Smell Of Success is a unique piece of amoral showbiz noir, whose malicious protagonists...

... nasty gossip columnist JJ Hunsecker (Burt Lancaster) and weaselly PR flack Sidney Falco (Tony Curtis) – make Simon Cowell seem the very soul of benevolent charm.

The film’s impact was magnified by Elmer Bernstein’s orchestrations, with brash trumpets, mocking reeds and louche, sizzling cymbals perfectly evoking the callous swagger of the showbiz milieu.

The score is accompanied here by Chico Hamilton’s music for the club scenes.

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