''Sweet Smell of Success'' is the soundtrack to the 1957

Hecht-Hill-Lancaster Productions Hecht-Hill-Lancaster was a production company formed by the actor Burt Lancaster in association with his agent, Harold Hecht, and James Hill. In 1948 Lancaster and Hecht formed Norma Productions (named after his wife), which later became Hecht-L ...

film of the same name. The music from the film was released by

Decca Records Decca Records is a British record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis (Decca), Edward Lewis. Its U.S. label was established in late 1934 by Lewis, Jack Kapp, American Decca's first president, and Milton Rackmil, who later became American ...

in June 1957 on two separate long play records; one featuring Elmer Bernstein's score, the other with

Chico Hamilton Quintet ''Chico Hamilton Quintet'' is a live album by drummer and bandleader Chico Hamilton, released on the Pacific Jazz label.

's music.

Production and release

The

film score A film score is original music written specifically to accompany a film. The score comprises a number of orchestral, instrumental, or choral pieces called cues, which are timed to begin and end at specific points during the film in order to ...

was composed, arranged and conducted by Elmer Bernstein, but the picture also featured jazz themes performed and recorded by the

Chico Hamilton Foreststorn "Chico" Hamilton (September 20, 1921 – November 25, 2013) was an American jazz drummer and bandleader. He came to prominence as sideman for Lester Young, Gerry Mulligan, Count Basie, and Lena Horne. Hamilton became a bandleader, ...

Quintet. The music was published and copyrighted through producers

Harold Hecht Harold Adolphe Hecht (June 1, 1907 – May 26, 1985) was an American film producer, dance director and talent agent. He was also, though less noted for, a literary agent, a theatrical producer, a theatre director and a Broadway actor. He was a m ...

and

Burt Lancaster Burton Stephen Lancaster (November 2, 1913 – October 20, 1994) was an American actor and producer. Initially known for playing tough guys with a tender heart, he went on to achieve success with more complex and challenging roles over a 45-yea ...

's own music publishing company,

Calyork Music Hecht-Lancaster & Buzzell Music, Inc. (sometimes referred to as Hecht-Lancaster-Buzzell Music Publishing, and later known as Hecht & Buzzell Music, Inc. and Colby Music, Inc.) was an American music publishing company founded by film producer H ...

, which was affiliated with BMI. Calyork Music's third partner,

Loring Buzzell Loring Bruce Buzzell (October 3, 1927 – October 20, 1959) was an American music publisher and record label executive. Together with film producer Harold Hecht and actor Burt Lancaster, he formed a series of music publishing imprints in the ...

, was responsible for securing the release of the music on soundtrack albums through

.Edwards, D., Callahan, M., Eyries, P., Watts, R., & Neely, T
Decca Album Discography, Part 4: Main 12-inch 8000 Series (1949–1960)
accessed August 11, 2015 It was a landmark event in the soundtrack industry; the first film to have two separate soundtracks, each featuring completely different music. One LP featured Bernstein's score, the other LP featured Hamilton's band. ''Sweet Smell of Success'' spanned two soundtrack LPs and two promotional singles. The first soundtrack LP was released in July 1957 by

(catalog DL 8610) and featured the jazz score composed by Elmer Bernstein. That same month, the lead single was released by Decca Records with the songs ''The Street'' and ''Toots Shor's Blues'' (catalog Decca 30379). The second soundtrack LP featured music composed and performed by the

Chico Hamilton Quintet ''Chico Hamilton Quintet'' is a live album by drummer and bandleader Chico Hamilton, released on the Pacific Jazz label.

, who also appeared in the film. Decca Records released this LP in August 1957 (catalog DL 8614) and promoted it with a single by Mark Murphy featuring ''Goodbye Baby'' on the A-side and ''The Right Kind of Woman'' on the B-side (catalog Decca 30390)."Pop Records Reviews". ''Billboard'', July 22, 1957. p. 72.
/ref> The liner notes of the 2008 compact disc reissue state that the Bernstein score was recorded on June 12, 1957, and the Hamilton tracks on July 12, 1957, but that is inaccurate. The same reissue also omits one of the Hamilton tracks from the disc. The film premiered June 27, 1957, so the music had already been long-recorded. The dates provided in the compact disc liner notes most likely reflect the original LP release dates, which coincides with mentions in '' Billboard'' magazine.

Critical reception

In a retrospective review,

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

's Blair Sanderson noted, "The soundtrack to

Alexander Mackendrick Alexander Mackendrick (September 8, 1912 – December 22, 1993) was an American-born director and professor, long based in Scotland. He was born in Boston, Massachusetts, and later moved to Scotland. He began making television commercials befor ...

's 1957 motion picture ''Sweet Smell of Success'' combines orchestral music by the versatile Elmer Bernstein and modern jazz by the Chico Hamilton Quintet, including numbers performed in the film's club scenes. Both provide a moody backdrop to the cynical showbiz drama and intersect at several key points through the use of a common theme, the tune 'Goodbye Baby'." More specifically about Bernstein's music, he wrote of the film score composer employing "richly dissonant big band sonorities and nocturnal urban blues in his score, and much of his music has the hard-edged, gritty sound that was associated with big city life in the 1950s. Hamilton's exploratory improvisations and Bernstein's studio orchestrations make this a highly sophisticated film score". In a 2008 review for ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

'', John L. Walters called the soundtrack compilation "the sonic equivalent of a well-mixed Manhattan: seven cool cues by drummer Chico Hamilton's adventurous band, and 14 orchestral blasts by Elmer Bernstein".Walters, J. L.
The Guardian Review
February 29, 2008

Track listing

Music from the Sound Track Sweet Smell of Success

Credits are adapted from the album's liner notes.

The Chico Hamilton Quintet Plays Jazz Themes Recorded for the Sound Track of the Motion Picture Sweet Smell of Success

Credits are adapted from the album's liner notes.

Personnel

Credits are adapted from the album's liner notes. ; The Elmer Bernstein Orchestra Featured on the first LP's tracks 1, 3—9, 12 & 14 * Martin Ruberman – flute *

Pete Candoli Pete Candoli (born Walter Joseph Candoli; June 28, 1923 – January 11, 2008) was an American jazz trumpeter. He played with the big bands of Woody Herman and Stan Kenton and worked in the studios of the recording and television industries. Ca ...

– trumpet * Ted Nash –

alto saxophone The alto saxophone is a member of the saxophone family of woodwind instruments. Saxophones were invented by Belgian instrument designer Adolphe Sax in the 1840s and patented in 1846. The alto saxophone is pitched in E, smaller than the B tenor ...

* Lloyd Ulyate – trombone * Mitchell Lurie – clarinet * Gordon Schoneberg – oboe * Jack Marsh – bassoon * David Frisina – viola * Armand Kaproff – cello * John Crown * John Williams – piano * Lee Perrin –

timpani Timpani (; ) or kettledrums (also informally called timps) are musical instruments in the percussion family. A type of drum categorised as a hemispherical drum, they consist of a membrane called a head stretched over a large bowl traditionall ...

Shelly Manne Sheldon "Shelly" Manne (June 11, 1920 – September 26, 1984) was an American jazz drummer. Most frequently associated with West Coast jazz, he was known for his versatility and also played in a number of other styles, including Dixieland, sw ...

– drums * Jack Hayes,

Leo Shuken Leo Shuken (born December 8, 1906, Los Angeles, California - d. July 24, 1976, Santa Monica, California) was an American film music composer, arranger, and musical director. Shuken composed for the music industry from the end of the 1930s until ...

– orchestration ; The Chico Hamilton Quintet Featured on the first LP's tracks 2, 10, 11 & 13 and on the second LP's tracks 1—8 *

– drums * Paul Horn –

tenor saxophone The tenor saxophone is a medium-sized member of the saxophone family, a group of instruments invented by Adolphe Sax in the 1840s. The tenor and the alto are the two most commonly used saxophones. The tenor is pitched in the key of B (while th ...

, flute, clarinet * Fred Katz – cello *

John Pisano John Pisano (born February 6, 1931) is a jazz guitarist born in Staten Island, New York. Biography Pisano has worked with Herb Alpert, Billy Bean, Chico Hamilton, Peggy Lee, and Joe Pass. Discography As leader * ''Makin' It: Guitar Duets'' wit ...

– guitar * Carson Smith – bass

References

{{Authority control 1957 soundtrack albums Chico Hamilton albums Decca Records soundtracks Drama film soundtracks Film soundtracks Films scored by Elmer Bernstein Norma Productions