Song:Staccato's Theme
Album:Ultra Lounge Vol. 7: The Crime Scene
Elmer Bernstein was one of the all time great film composers. He was classically trained but liked to use jazz themes in his music and this theme from the short lived 1959 TV show Johnny Staccato was a hit in England. He was born Apr. 4, 1922 in New York City and was a piano prodigy with an ability ro improvise as a child. After studying at Juilliard, he was ready to begin a career as a concert pianist. But fate intervened when Bernstein was drafted into the US Army during WWII and arranged music for the United States Army Air Force Band. After his discharge, he worked in radio until an NBC executive offered him a chance to compose themes for TV shows. But his big break came when he wrote the music for the 1955 Otto Preminger film The Man With The Golden Arm. This led to a long career writing award winning music for films and TV shows. While working for Universal's TV division, he wrote the music for the 1959 series Johnny Staccato starring John Cassavetes. It was a crime drama and only lasted 29 episodes. But the them was a top five hit in England. You can get it on this Capitol various artists comp that has a crime theme. There's also a remix available of this song on a different CD. Of course Elmer Bernstein won numerous awards over his long career until his death on Aug. 18, 2004 at age 82. Here's the closing and opening themes for the 1959 TV show Johnny Staccato.
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