welcome to the Manne-hole!
One would hardly think that music for television would form a solid basis for improvisation, being largely incidental music meant to set scenes rather than draw in the ear.
However, Johnny Williams (the same John Williams who later created memorable music for Star Wars and the Harry Potter movies) was a composer who was able to transcend the usual boundaries of the small screen to create some memorable little themes that worked quite well apart from the show.
Shelley Manne, who had previously delved into musicals for fresh ideas (his My Fair Lady is a minor classic), was able to see the possibilities in Williams' noirish themes from Checkmate, a long forgotten TV show. It certainly helps that Manne's 1961 working quintet was filled with fire-breathers like Richie Kamuca and Conte Candoli, but clearly the music simply gave the musicians the opportunity to dig into some fresh material to generate ideas. The music bears the influence of recent modal experiments (The King Swings bears more than a passing resemblance to Impressions) and Freeman, a stalwart West Coast pianist, demonstrates a knack for working within the loose framework. Other selections are based on sinister bass and prickly drumming that instantly recall numerous spy themes; the horns, in true form, dart around like criminals in the shadows. Clearly with the talent involved, this project was likely to provide some intense blowing; had this been done by anyone else, it might not have been so interesting.
1. Checkmate 2. The Isolated Pawn 3. Cyanide Touch 4. The King Swings 5. En Passant 6. Fireside Eyes 6. The Black Knight.
Personnel: Shelley Manne-drums; Conte Candoli-trumpet; Richie Kamuca-tenor sax; Russ Freeman-piano; Chuck Berghofer-bass.
Sure, he may not usurp other players in your collection, and he might not be your favorite, but I would hate for you to miss out on what he offers.
Jazz Casual. They play some really hip stuff. The second part of that video, with Shorty Rogers and his men, is also great.
CBS at Saturday 8:30 PM (60 min.)
Premiered: September 17, 1960 Last Aired: September 1, 1962
Show Category: Drama
Checkmate Inc. was a San Franciso firm whose mission was to stop or "checkmate" a crime before it happened.
Anthony George played Don Corey, the head of the firm, and Doug McClure (in his second series) played Jed Sills, Corey's assistant. Sebastian Cabot played a university criminology professor who served as a consultant to Checkmate. The three worked out of Corey's beautiful Nob Hill apartment which had a great view of the city.
Guest stars were always top of the line and included
Lee Marvin, Claire Bloom, Terry Moore, Angie Dickinson, Susan Oliver, James Coburn, Peter Lorre, Charles Laughton, David Janssen, Jack Lord, Lloyd Bridges, Robert Lansing, Jeffrey Hunter, Dorothy Malone, Elizabeth Montgomery, and Inger Stevens.
Originally sexy Joan O'Brien was to play the Doug McClure detective role, which would have been very intriguing in 1960.
The best thing about the show were the three appealing leads and that great apartment. In the second season, when Checkmate Inc. moved to a posh office suite, it just wasn't the same.
This show was originally on CBS Saturday nights at 8:30, immediately following "Perry Mason".
Guy Peellaert's Pravda la Survireuse from Gallien Guibert
the return of paradox is terrible for george jones
