Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Bob Sneider-Joe Locke Film Noir Project: Nocturne for Ava
Bob Sneider-Joe Locke Film Noir Project: Nocturne for Ava
It is a subtle hypnotism Sneider and Locke perform by naming their collective The Film Noir Project. Billed as being dedicated to the spirit of the jazz soundtrack as part of film noir sets up certain expectations. Cleverly, The Film Noir Project immediately stimulates aural images of smoky saxophones and martini-bright brass complementing the environs of West Coast crime in the '40s and '50s. While this expectation is partially realized, The Project polishes the concept with brass cleaner to a high sheen.
Nocturne for Ava consists of eleven selections, eight of which are reinterpretations of noir soundtracks with the remainder being stylized realizations of the genre. The Project is nominally an octet, or sub-atomically a trumpet- saxophone quintet with guitar, vibes, and percussion. Sneider, Locke, and percussionist Luisito Quintero are the added degrees of freedom to this quintet equation that provide the noir atmospherics. An early example is Sneider and Locke weaving a gossamer spell beneath John Sneider's muted trumpet on Mark Isham's "Afterglow." The pair state the piece's extended melody languidly while drummer Tim Horner (using brushes) and pianist Paul Hofmann, equally languid, add color and grit.
Herbie Hancock's "Theme From Blow Up" is deftly stated by Hofmann and Locke and propelled by drummer Horner and percussionist Quintero. The musical effect is of a fast moving urban landscape like that of the movie's center of London. Of the originals, Sneider's "Black Dalia" and Locke's title piece readily mesh with the directed compositions in both execution and the atmosphere that results. The theme of film noir soundtrack works well and this group ably interprets the theme.
Track Listing
Last Tango In Paris; Afterglow; Theme From Blow Up; Laura; Black Dahlia; Windmills Of Your Mind; Nocturne For Ava; Kiss Me, Kill Me; I Want To Live Main Theme; Flirtibird; Los Feliz.
Personnel
Joe Locke
vibraphoneJohn Sneider: trumpet; Grant Stewart: tenor; Bob Sneider: guitar; Joe Locke: vibes; Paul Hofmann: piano; Martin Wind: bass; Tim Horner: drums; Luisito Quintero: percussion.
Album information
Title: Nocturne for Ava | Year Released: 2009 | Record Label: Origin Records
About Joe Locke
Tags
PREVIOUS / NEXT
Joe Locke Concerts
Become a Sustaining Member
Since 1995, All About Jazz has championed jazz as an art form and supported the musicians who create it. Over three decades, it has grown into one of the world's leading jazz resources, serving hundreds of thousands of readers, musicians, presenters and industry professionals each month.
Help Build the Future of All About Jazz
Your support helps us continue building All About Jazz for the next generation—expanding our editorial coverage, preserving jazz history, developing new community features and creating better ways to discover the music and the people behind it.
Become a sustaining member for as little as $20 per year and you'll immediately enjoy an ad-free experience along with access to subscriber features and future articles for a full year.
Together, we're not simply sustaining All About Jazz—we're building its future. Thank you for being part of the journey.
