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Serpico - FM Records
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The true story of New York police officer Frank Serpico was a grave indictment of police corruption and links with organised crime. Serpico was a brave and honest cop, who was the first in the USA to testify against fellow officers and led New York Mayor Lindsay to instigate the Knapp commission. Serpico was shot in the face during an “arranged” drug raid, but survived, only to be strangely dismissed from the NYPD before moving to Switzerland in 1972.
The story of this brave and somewhat unconventional police officer was told in a book by Peter Maas which was then filmed by director Sidney Lumet in the 1973 film Serpico, starring Al Pacino in one his most haunting roles. The music for the film was written by Mikis Theodorakis; a wonderful combination of 1970s jazz and laid back easy listening music with a Greek style flavouring. This prolific Greek composer and poet has written more than fifty film scores since his first, Eva, in 1953, as well as some of Greece’s most loved classical works including seven symphonies (as well as being an active politician and a one time member of the Greek parliament), but it is his scores for Z, Phaedra and in particular Zorba The Greek for which he is best known internationally.
The album starts with the ‘Theme From Serpico’, which is played on the pipes and balalaika-sounding instrument, and is a charming gentle Greek-style track with a wonderful flowing orchestral accompaniment. The following cue, ‘Honest Cop’ takes on a laid-back jazz atmosphere with saxophone and muted trumpet adding delicious improvisations. In contrast, ‘Alone In The Apartment’ features a melancholy trumpet solo that pulls at the heartstrings. Later cues are more upbeat with tender themes picked out by the flute, trumpet and piano in gentle catchy refrains. Some of the cues, like the superb ‘On The Streets’ take a more funky jazz feel that was typical of the “Big Apple” police dramas of the period, while others like ‘Laurie’s Fable’ revert to the Greek flavouring of the main theme enhanced by some delicate balalaika passages. The album concludes with reprise of the main theme that initially starts in melancholy mood and grows to a firm but gentle balalaika dominated climax.
The Greek flavour to the score gives a wonderful carefree, if occasionally sad lilt to the music which belays the often violent and gritty content of the film and strangely contrast with Frank Serpico’s Italian heritage. But those small anomalies apart, the music is first class 1970’s jazz, with every track a little gem in its own right. Mikis Theodorakis’ score is a superb example of melodic 1970s scores, not plenteous, just fun. FM Records provide a high quality remastered package with notes in Greek and English. Highly recommended.
Reviewed by: Andrew Keech, Music from the Movies
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