University of Illinois Concert Jazz Band (with a special performance by Raymond Benson)

Music of the James Bond Films and Novels

April 13, 2013 • 7:00 PM • Free Admission

Spurlock Museum Knight Auditorium, 600 S. Gregory, Urbana, IL

"Spy music," as the lounge movement of the late 20th century would come to call it, had a cool, slinky vibe and was rooted as much in jazz and pop as in classical music according to Jon Burlingame. John Barry's early Bond orchestrations established an entirely new music genre to portray the excitement and intrigue associated with the spy thrillers of the 1960s, and many other composers, arrangers, and performers provided varied interpretations of this new movie music genre including Henry Mancini, Jerry Goldsmith, Quincy Jones, Bill Conti, Burt Bacharach, Paul McCartney, and Marvin Hamlisch. In 1966 the Count Basie Jazz Orchestra released their recording, Basie Meets Bond, under the United Artists record label. This recording included hip jazz arrangements by Chico O'Farrill and George Williams of the most popular Bond music themes produced by John Barry and Monty Norman. This exciting concert highlights several of these innovative jazz arrangements as well as other big band works derived from the rich Bond movie music legacy.