Forget it, Jake, It's Chinatown

Whenever temperatures soar into the high 90s, my thoughts turn to the Chinatown film score. My Pavlovian reaction dates back to the summer of 1974, when I worked as a ticker-ripper and usher at a General Cinema duplex movie theater before the start of college. Among the many great movies out that summer was the Jack Nicholson and Faye Dunaway classic, allowing me to see it some 40-odd times.

The summer of 1974 was particularly hot in exurban New York, so working in a crisp air-conditioned environment accompanied by the powerful smell of popcorn was a treat. Few soundtracks better capture the noir feel of old Los Angeles than Chinatown. Jerry Goldsmith's score is brilliant, but much of its mood comes from the strong, melancholy studio trumpet of Uan Rasey.

Since today's temperature (100 degrees) is higher than yesterday's, what better way to celebrate summer than with clips of Chinatown's soundtrack:   

Just seeing the opening credits and hearing the movie's love theme takes me back to the blue-hued theater...



Here's the closing theme...



Here's Noah Cross...



Here's Part 1 of an interview with Uan Rasey...



Here's Part 2...



And finally, if you have a fetish for Rasey's theme as much as I do, here's an hour-long loop...