Deep Blue - A Fantastic Voyage

Deep Blue (aka La Planete Bleue) is a fascinating feature-length movie of highlights from the BBC documentary series The Blue Planet. Released in 2004, the film substitutes, the familiar tones of British national treasure David Attenborough with a narration by actor Michael Gambon.

Deep Blue transports us on a fantastic voyage to the oceanic realm and introduces us to some of earth's most mysterious ocean creatures. As with all BBC wildlife related documentaries like Land of The Tiger and Walking With Dinosaurs, the filming is frankly stunning, aided in no small way by composer George Fenton's sweeping score performed by the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra.

Although based on the soundtrack from the TV series, the score for Deep Blue was composed specifically for the movie and as such adds even greater depth and colour to the already breathtaking visuals. From the dramatic opener, Bounty Hunters to the rousing magisterial title track, the soundtrack for Deep Blue effortlessly mixes traditional orchestration with subtle electronics most notably on Metamorphosis and Mounting Pressure cues.

If you are looking for an immaculately performed dramatic movie score, try dipping your toe in the Deep Blue.

Music from Grupo Puja! K@osmos

A couple of years ago, my local council put on a three-day festival of street theatre, the highlight of which, was a free performance by K@osmos and Grupo Puja - a troupe of Spanish and Argentine acrobats, live musicians and a “cosmic sphere” suspended from a crane.

The sight of eight people performing and occasionally bungee jumping some 100 feet above me was awe inspiring enough not to mention the fact that the music that accompanied them was live.

The man behind the music for Grupo Puja is multi-instrumentalist Gaston Luiz Lungman whose album La Musica which accompanies the show, reveals many influences including New Age, Drum and Bass, Prog Rock, Classical and most notably Pink Floyd and Clapton.

Absolutely unforgettable live, Grupo Puja! is an experience worth taking the time to see and hear.

Music from The Sultan's Elephant - (May the 4th be with you)

The Sultan's Elephant was a show created by the French Royal de Luxe theatre company. It involved a massive mechanical elephant and a giant girl marionette. The music for this show was composed and performed live by a French band called Les Balayeurs Du Desert.

The spectaclar show was performed in various locations around the world between 2005 and 2006. I was lucky enough to catch the show when it came to London from 4–7 May 2006. The show started with a Cyber-steam rocket "crashing" in Waterloo Place on Thursday May 4.

By Friday, a giant mechanical elephant arrived, along with the Sultan, resulting in some major traffic jams and disruption. In the meantime, a giant girl marionette emerged from the space ship and "walked" up Pall Mall and eventually met up with the elephant. While the girl toured London on an open top bus, the elephant paraded around St James Park. The following day, the elephant arrived in Trafalgar Square where the girl marionette was lifted onto the elephant's trunk and was carried back to Horseguards Parade. The grand finale took place on the Sunday when the girl returned to her space ship and took off in a cloud of smoke, thus concluding a magical few days in the hands and minds of the Royal de Luxe theatre company.

Apart from the sheer spectacle of the staging of the Sultan's Elephant there was of course Les Balayeurs Du Desert's live performance during the show, captured on their album Jules Verne Impact in memory of the 200th anniversary of Jules Verne's death. The album itself is a delightfully eccentric mix of world music, rap, bhangra, electro, dance and rock. It kicks off with the Bo-Diddley meets Bollywood Elephant Walk. Later on The Doors Hello I Love You gets a bonkers Galllic makeover in Hello Ola while Allez Hue dans L'eau echoes the sunny sounds of Air. The penultimate track, the mesmeric Decollage, will be familiar to those who witnessed the girl emerging from her space ship.

This album is not perhaps to everyone's taste purely because of it's eclectic mix of musical styles, but every time I put it on I'm reminded of that magical time in 2006 - the like of which we are unlikely to see again.

Charlie Parker With Strings

Ok, this isn't a soundtrack and technically Charlie Parker With Strings shouldn't be here, but this classy collection of mesmerising performances featuring Charlie Parker playing with a small string ensemble, creates a movie in your mind.

Recorded and produced in 1949 by jazz visionary Norman Granz, Charlie Parker With Strings was the first release to feature a jazz soloist backed by violins. 'Bird' takes the opportunity to soar above the occasionally syrupy strings and reinforces his reputation as arguably the greatest improviser of all time.

After a frustrating day battling the snow, that's if you're in the UK, take time to chill out with this cool collection.

Ghostbusters - Bernstein's Supernatural Spectacular

Produced and directed by Ivan Reitman, Ghostbusters was one of the highest grossing films of 1984. Starring Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Harold Ramis, Rick Moranis, Sigourney Weaver and Mr Stay Puft, Ghostbusters followed the comedic exploits of three New York City parapsychologists who out of financial necessity, become ghost exterminators.

Written by Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis, Ghostbusters undoubtedly opened the doors for sci-fi comedies like Men in Black. The laconic Bill Murray all but steals the show with a stack of deadpan one liners such as:

• "We came, we saw, we kicked its ass."
• "Why worry? Each one of us is carrying an unlicensed nuclear accelerator on his back.
• "Mr. Stay Puft's okay, he's a sailor, he's in New York, we get this guy laid we won't have any trouble."
• "Somebody blows their nose and you want to keep it?"
• "I don't have to take this abuse from you, I've got hundreds of people dying to abuse me."
• "Twenty four hours a day, seven days a week, no job is too big, no fee is too big!"

There's some excellent support from the radiant but haunted Sigourney Weaver as Dana Barrett and of course Rick Moranis as the nerdy Louis Tully. Annie Potts who plays the Ghostbusters secretary Janine Melnitz was of course the husky voice of Bo-Peep who gave Sherriff Woody a woody in Toy Story.

To some folks, the music of Ghostbusters is personified by the catchy title song by Ray Parker Junior. Despite being proven to be a lift of Huey Lewis' "I Wanna New Drug", Parker's Ghostbusters was a mega hit of titanic proportions. I remember at the time of the film's theatrical release, going to a matinee performance at a provincial cinema and being highly amused by the kids in the audience all singing along to the theme tune as the opening titles came up - just like Saturday Morning Pictures!

The actual soundtrack for Ghostbusters was written by veteran film composer Elmer Bernstein and what cracking score it is too. Bernstein's piano driven swirling marching theme with a touch of the ethereal Ondes Martenot is a joy, in fact the latter instrument pervades much of the score. The exotic Zool cue is brilliant along with the fanfare which is originally heard during the Lion statue opening of the movie. Bernstein was evidently a little miffed that his score was padded out by a selection of rather insipid pop music, but in the 80's that's what film companies assumed audiences wanted. As a result it is only recently that music lovers can now enjoy the beauty of this great score instead of the limp songtrack that was originally released.

A rather dismal follow up Ghostbusters 2 was released in 1989 which rather abandoned the rough and ready style and and humour of the original and covered any plot holes if indeed there was much of a plot in favour of some not terribly special effects. Bernstein was not retained as the composer in house and score duties were handled by Randy Edelman. None of Edelman's pleasant score for Ghostbusters 2 was released and a so-so collection of pop, soft rock, rap and swingbeat was released instead including a Rap version of Ray Parker's Ghostbusters song by RUN DMC. Still Bobby Brown's Swingbeat On Our Own is worth tapping your feet to.

It appears that Harold Ramis is planning Ghostbusters III. Let's hope he doesn't do an Indiana Jones and The Crystal Skull and lose any remaining cred!

Sounds Orchestral Meets James Bond

While we're in a James Bond vibe, why not try this motley collection of loungey music from and inspired by the James Bond films and novels.

Released in 1965 Sounds Orchestral Meets James Bond is not a soundtrack as such but contains covers of Bond Movie themes from Dr No, Thunderball, Goldfinger and From Russia With Love. The remaining tracks are Pianist / Arranger Johnny Pearson's own 007 inspired compositions.

I suppose it was the vogue at the time but some of the tracks are linked by some rather unnecessary sound effects, so Pearson's Pussy's Blues is preceded by a sort of cat / leopard vomiting sound. Elsewhere you are treated to the various sounds of people running, being shot at, hit and driving recklessly. Presumably it's meant to represent an aural action soundtrack, but it's all rather off-putting if you ask me. Still it's an amusing listen for Bondophiles.

Formed in 1965 by Pye Records producer John Schroeder, Sounds Orchestral was a studio based group of instrumentalists. The band had a big hit with the lush and romantic Cast Your Fate to The Wind. I always remember it as the music we did Music and Movement to in Primary School! Johnny Pearson, later gained fame for his tinkly theme to the 70's BBC drama Owen MD, entitled Sleepy Shores.

Basie Meets Bond

A classic collection from 1965 of big band covers of Bond music by Count Basie. Timeless and priceless.

John Barry's scores have often contained jazz and particular big band influences, none more so than the James Bond theme itself. Yes I know that in the eyes of the law John Barry didn't write the James Bond theme as it was 'proven' in a court of law to be from the pen of Monty Norman (Ha Ha). The fact is that the big band break in John Barry's arrangement of Monty Norman's (yawn) composition, The James Bond theme, is pure Basie.

So it's natural that Count Basie should return the complement with this cool and swinging selection of tunes from Dr No to Thunderball. Standout tracks are The James Bond theme (naturally), From Russia With Love, Goldfinger, Thunderball and surprisingly Dr No's Fantasy (which is a bona-fide Monty Norman compostion).

Personally, I would have gladly forgone a couple of the Dr No tunes such as Underneath the Mango Tree and Three Blind Mice in favour of some more from Thunderball. I would have loved to hear Basie's take on Mr Kiss Kiss Bang Bang.

Don't be put off by the slightly crap go-go dolly birds cover art. Basie Meets Bond is a class act.