What I've Been Listening To Lately

So, thanks to friend Stan for the loan of a new two-cd set of the theme song and all the incidental music for JONNY QUEST

https://lalalandrecords.com/jonny-quest-limited-edition-2-cd-set/

I was part of the original audience for this show, but only went back and watched it all the way through a few years ago (the episode that stayed most in my memory is THE CURSE OF ANUBUS, the one with the mummy). I've always loved the theme music, having previously had it only as part of a collection of Saturday morning cartoons themes.*  This included a re-recorded of the Jonny Quest theme by Reverend Horton Heat, whom I don't otherwise know, but unfortunately it segues in mid-track into another song, the dopey 'Stop That Pidgeon" from "The Flying Machines".  So it's nice to get just the theme song as a stand-alone track, and enjoyable to get all the bits and pieces of other music from the show.

Oddly enough, listening to it now, it's clear that there were two prime inspirations for the Jonny Quest music. The first are short punchy jazz themes (like those for Perry Mason and Peter Gunn), with the second a strong dose of Stravenski's RITE OF SPRING. You wdn't think these two wd go together, but in practice the mix (or more properly alternation) works extremely well.

Time to dig out that complete dvd JONNY QUEST set and give it a re-watch, I think.

--John R.

--what I'm reading: BILLION YEAR SPREE by Brian Aldiss (just finished), TOLKIEN'S LOST CHAUCER by John M. Bowers

--what I'm watching: The Impeachment Hearings (or at least as much of them as I can make time for).


*a cd I think I first learned about from Rich Baker.