Guitarist Mark Doyle has done it again. That is, Mark Doyle has finished the third installment of his Guitar Noir series. Watching The Detectives highlights television and film intrigue courtesy of spies and private eyes from days gone by. Conceptually sound and tastefully performed, Doyle’s instrumental album (out August 6 via Free Will) dusts off vintage tunes like Nelson Riddle’s theme from The Untouchables and Elmer Berstein’s long-forgotten “Johnny Staccato” (composed for a short-lived 1959-1960 TV show starring John Cassavetes as a jazz pianist/private dick).
Doyle’s own list of accomplishments go back to the early ’70s when he was in an upstate New York rock band called Jukin’ Bone, followed by a stint playing some Bowie-esque glam jams with Philadelphia vocalist David Werner. While Guitar Noir III mostly sticks with the concept by embracing the “Kojak Theme,” “Man From U.N.C.L.E.” and Dave Grusin’s “It Takes A Thief.” Doyle also contributes some original music as well new arrangements of Louis Cole’s “Everytime” and immortal Frank Zappa lounge parody,“America Drinks And Goes Home,” which Doyle performs in the style of—what else?—cocktail jazz.
And so for your entertainment, MAGNET is happy to present the opening track of Guitar Noir III. Doyle’s “Detectives Medley” showcases Elvis Costello’s “Watching The Detectives” before segueing into the Get Smart theme and concludes with “The Untouchables.” The opening guitar riff is modeled after Costello’s original noir performance, and it provides an apropos introduction to the album. Overall, Doyle and his crack band play these tunes to perfection, with tasteful string arrangements and some really clever adaptations. Check out “Detectives Medley” below.
—Mitch Myers
