Book Excerpt of the Day

Lalo Schifrin came closest to blaxploitation with his excellent Enter the Dragon (’73) the Bruce Lee blockbuster directed by Robert Clouse. By then, the blaxploitation sound was enjoying great success with audiences regardless of skin tone. The evidence of comfortable assimilation was on the screen — as the movie’s Chinese hero (Lee) teams up with an African-American (Jim Kelly) and a Caucasian (John Saxon) — as well as on the soundtrack. The theme, with its chugging wah guitar rhythms, “Shaft”-like rhythm and ultra funky keyboard and brass lines, make it a classic of the blaxploitation genre. Elsewhere in the score, the mellow groover “Headset Jazz,” lean creepers “Into the Night” and “The Human Fly” also have funky appeal. The score remains a touchstone for fans of Schifrin, blaxploitation and classic kung fu. Rap group Wu Tang Clan paid homage to it with its debut album, Enter the Wu Tang (’93). And Rush Hour (’98) director Brett Ratner requested a Dragon-style score from Schifrin to accompany the high kicking, crime fighting, comic antics of Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker. Simply put, Dragon is a notable and influential entry into the blaxploitation soundtrack genre, even if the movie barely qualifies.

– from Chapter 1: Crime Jazz and Felonious Funk of Kristopher Spencer’s Film and Television Scores, 1950-1979

Book Excerpt of the Day

“The importance of music to black crime films can’t be overstated. Bear in mind that radio spots for films like Shaft and Superfly often call attention to the soundtrack artist, practically in the same breath as the movie’s star. This emphasis on the music further reinforces the idea that in blaxploitation films the music is as much a character as the flesh and blood men and women who populate the frame. Outside of Hollywood’s classic movie musicals, no other genre can truly claim that distinguishing feature.”

– from Chapter 1: Crime Jazz & Felonious Funk of Kristopher Spencer’s Film and Television Scores, 1950-1979

Book Excerpt of the Day

“To break down the racial wall entirely it took a film made by a black person for a black audience… Melvin Van Peebles’ scandalous, X-rated, audaciously titled feature, Sweet Sweetback’s Baadassss Song. As the film’s writer, director, producer, soundtrack composer and star, Van Peebles almost single-handedly activated the genre that would later be dubbed blaxploitation. In order to avoid industry union rules, he claimed to be making a porno. It become the highest grossing independent film up until that time, pulling in $16 million with extremely limited distribution. Unlike today’s ‘indie’ hits, however, it did not garner the filmmaker any big-studio offers. The film’s gritty subject matter and provocative marketing tagline (“Rated X by an All White Jury”) served to alienate mainstream Hollywood from the brash auteur…. Hollywood’s response to Sweetback’s stunning success was to transform a fairly generic crime thriller about a private detective named John Shaft into a genre-busting box-office smash.”

– from Chapter 1: Crime Jazz & Felonious Funk of Kristopher Spencer’s Film and Television Scores, 1950-1979