Anatomy Of A Murder (ost)

While this wasn’t Ellington’s first film score, it was the first he wrote for a major all-star motion picture. The film stars Jimmy Stewart, George C. Scott, Lee Remick, Ben Gazzara, and Arthur O'Connell, and also features Ellington himself in the role of Pie-Eye.

As with any soundtrack, the focus is on serving and shaping the action on screen. Even so, plenty of these pieces hold their own alongside Ellington’s other work from the same period, making this a fascinating listen both as a film score and as part of his wider catalogue.