Cold Spring Jazz Quartet at Germano's Piattini

For more than fifteen years, CSJQ has been treating Baltimore-Washington audiences to their scintillating blend of current and classic jazz. The emphasis for this evening, however, is on the classics, as CSJQ performs the music of 1940s and ‘50s films noir.

The words “film noir” conjure up images of smoky night clubs, rain-slicked streets, world-weary detectives and dangerous dame. On the soundtrack, of course, there is a slinky jazz saxophone. But there’s one problem: films noir of the 1940s didn’t have jazz scores. What they did have were a large body of tunes drawn from the Great American Songbook—classics such as “I’ll Remember April” (from Phantom Lady), “Stella by Starlight” (The Uninvited), “I Hear a Rhapsody” (Clash by Night), saloon songs such as “One for My Baby” (Road House), as well as the title tunes of Laura, Body and Soul, and The Blue Gardenia, among many others. In the 1950s and later, jazz soundtracks set the mood for film noirs such as The Big Combo, and Sweet Smell of Success, for television crime series such as Peter Gunn and Mr. Lucky and for neo-noir films like Taxi Driver and Chinatown. CSJQ will perform these songs. As a bonus, you'll even see brief clips from the classic films....

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For more than fifteen years, CSJQ has been treating Baltimore-Washington audiences to their scintillating blend of current and classic jazz. The emphasis for this evening, however, is on the classics, as CSJQ performs the music of 1940s and ‘50s films noir.

The words “film noir” conjure up images of smoky night clubs, rain-slicked streets, world-weary detectives and dangerous dame. On the soundtrack, of course, there is a slinky jazz saxophone. But there’s one problem: films noir of the 1940s didn’t have jazz scores. What they did have were a large body of tunes drawn from the Great American Songbook—classics such as “I’ll Remember April” (from Phantom Lady), “Stella by Starlight” (The Uninvited), “I Hear a Rhapsody” (Clash by Night), saloon songs such as “One for My Baby” (Road House), as well as the title tunes of Laura, Body and Soul, and The Blue Gardenia, among many others. In the 1950s and later, jazz soundtracks set the mood for film noirs such as The Big Combo, and Sweet Smell of Success, for television crime series such as Peter Gunn and Mr. Lucky and for neo-noir films like Taxi Driver and Chinatown. CSJQ will perform these songs. As a bonus, you'll even see brief clips from the classic films.

Along with this evocative jazz, the event features introductions by CSJQ’s saxophonist and vocalist, Mark Osteen—who also happens to be a film scholar and the author of Nightmare Alley: Film Noir and the American Dream.

“Night Songs” is a dazzling and unique multi-media event that is sure to delight both jazz aficionados and classic movie fans.



Tickets: $10 per person. Doors open at 6pm for pre-show dining. Performance begins at 7:30pm. Please call to make a reservation. To purchase a ticket and make a reservation, call Germano’s at 410-752-4515 or visit http://www.germanostrattoria.com for more information.

For more about CSJQ, check their website: http://www.coldspringjazz.com.

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