Album of the Day

Give French filmmakers credit for sophisticated taste when it came to their soundtracks; around the time Louis Malle was tapping Miles Davis to score Elevator To The Gallows, director Roger Vadim was putting the Modern Jazz Quartet to work on his NO SUN IN VENICE. The 1957 tale of romance and intrigue in the city of canals is best remembered for its Eastmancolor visuals and music, with six beautiful, if somewhat atypical, compositions by MJQ pianist John Lewis. Produced by Atlantic jazz guru Nesuhi Ertegun, the music is haunting and serene, though with a rhythmic undercurrent that makes excellent use of Percy Heath's bass and Connie Kay's drums. You'd be forgiven if you wanted to skip the movie, but the soundtrack to NO SUN IN VENICE is one that fans of 1950s jazz won't want to miss.