Back in the early 1960s, if you opened a tabloid newspaper in New York like the Post or Daily News, you often saw small ads for risque films that were strictly for adults. These were the pre-ratings years, when kids were only allowed in to see Disney films and similar fare.
The films I'm referring to weren't sexually graphic but they were highly suggestive and, from what I understand, pure junk. One of them. in 1962. was called Satan in High Heels (also known as Blues for a Stripper). The reason I mention this film is its magnificent soundtrack.
The score was composed and arranged by Mundell Lowe. Most people know Mundy as an East Coast jazz and studio guitarist, but he was also a terrific arranger.
The soundtrack was recorded over two sessions, in late November and late December of 1961, with some of New York's finest players.
When I interviewed Mundy in 2008, I asked him about Satan in High Heels...
JazzWax: Your score for Satan in High Heels remains one of the great movie soundtracks. How did your involvement come about?
Mundell Lowe: That was the first film I ever scored. The producer, Leonard Burton, called me up in 1961 and said he had made this skin flick, which by today’s standards I guess is pretty tame. He said he heard some music I wrote for the NBC Orchestra and that this film might be my cup of tea. So I had a meeting in New York and ironed out the business end. Then we set up the dates. The film editor started putting film together and called me to spot the film and reels—which means to figure out where the music is going to go.
JW: What did you think when you saw the film?
ML: To tell you the truth, I didn’t know what to think. It was pretty trashy. But I wanted to write for film and this one was as good as any to try out new things, musically. As I started to live with the film, the music I wanted to write came into focus. I decided I would do a jazz score, and the arrangements I created turned out to fit the film perfectly.
JW: You brought in some amazing talent for the date.
ML: I got the best guys I could find—Joe Newman, Doc Severinsen, Clark Terry, Urbie Green, Al Cohn and others. It was an all-star group. Hey, they had to pay rent, too!
Here's the complete Satan in High Heels without ad interruptions...
The films I'm referring to weren't sexually graphic but they were highly suggestive and, from what I understand, pure junk. One of them. in 1962. was called Satan in High Heels (also known as Blues for a Stripper). The reason I mention this film is its magnificent soundtrack.
The score was composed and arranged by Mundell Lowe. Most people know Mundy as an East Coast jazz and studio guitarist, but he was also a terrific arranger.
The soundtrack was recorded over two sessions, in late November and late December of 1961, with some of New York's finest players.
When I interviewed Mundy in 2008, I asked him about Satan in High Heels...
JazzWax: Your score for Satan in High Heels remains one of the great movie soundtracks. How did your involvement come about?
Mundell Lowe: That was the first film I ever scored. The producer, Leonard Burton, called me up in 1961 and said he had made this skin flick, which by today’s standards I guess is pretty tame. He said he heard some music I wrote for the NBC Orchestra and that this film might be my cup of tea. So I had a meeting in New York and ironed out the business end. Then we set up the dates. The film editor started putting film together and called me to spot the film and reels—which means to figure out where the music is going to go.
JW: What did you think when you saw the film?
ML: To tell you the truth, I didn’t know what to think. It was pretty trashy. But I wanted to write for film and this one was as good as any to try out new things, musically. As I started to live with the film, the music I wanted to write came into focus. I decided I would do a jazz score, and the arrangements I created turned out to fit the film perfectly.
JW: You brought in some amazing talent for the date.
ML: I got the best guys I could find—Joe Newman, Doc Severinsen, Clark Terry, Urbie Green, Al Cohn and others. It was an all-star group. Hey, they had to pay rent, too!
Here's the complete Satan in High Heels without ad interruptions...
This story appears courtesy of JazzWax by Marc Myers.
Copyright © 2025. All rights reserved.
