CRUMB - Soundtrack
THE MUSIC
The music in CRUMB is jazz, blues and ragtime music from the early part of this century. Robert Crumb and director Zwigoff's twenty-five year-old friendship was founded on their mutual interest in this music. Both collect rare 78 rpm blues and jazz recordings of the late 1920's. What's more, they both played in The Cheap Suit Serenaders, a string band which recorded three lps of blues and jazz music for the Yazoo label. It was imperative to Zwigoff that the music for the film reflect their shared passion for an era of music that is for the most part forgotten today.
Zwigoff selected tunes by Ferdinand Morton (aka Jelly-Roll Morton), Scott Joplin, Joseph "King" Oliver, Joseph Lamb, and Geechie Wiley. Zwigoff says, "I knew I'd have to listen to these tunes five thousand times as the film came together, so I selected music that I loved and wouldn't get tired of hearing."
When possible, Zwigoff used original 78's out of his own collection, for example, the 1930 King Oliver version of "Shake It and Break It" and Geechie Wiley's "Last Kind Word Blues." Zwigoff also called on two musician friends to help with the soundtrack: Louisiana pianist David Boeddinghaus and San Francisco-based guitarist Craig Ventresco. Boeddinghaus's evocative piano arrangements are a great contribution to CRUMB, from "Ragtime Nightingale," the opening credit music, to "A Real Slow Drag," the Scott Joplin finale from the composer's opera "Treemonisha," which accompanies Crumb as he walks down the seedy section of Market Street in San Francisco.
MUSICAL CREDITS
"RAGTIME NIGHTINGALE"
Composed by JOSEPH LAMB
Performed by DAVID BOEDDINGHAUS
"LAST KIND WORD BLUES"
Composed & Performed by
GEECHIE WILEY & ELVIE THOMAS
"35th STREET BLUES"
Composed by CHARLES LEVY
Performed by DAVID BOEDDINGHAUS
"COMIC MONTAGE STOMP"
Composed by DAVID BOEDDINGHAUS
Performed by DAVID BOEDDINGHAUS & CRAIG VENTRESCO
"ZAP JAM BOOGIE-WOOGIE"
Composed by CRAIG VENTRESCO
Performed by CRAIG VENTRESCO
"A REAL SLOW DRAG"
Composed by SCOTT JOPLIN
Performed by DAVID BOEDDINGHAUS
"SHAKE IT AND BREAK IT"
Composed by FRISCOE-CLARK
Performed by KING OLIVER & his Orchestra
courtesy of the RCA Records label of BMG Music
"FROG-I-MORE RAG"
Composed by FERDINAND MORTON
Performed by DAVID BOEDDINGHAUS
Last modified 16-August-1995.