The Villager - May 31, 2018

The good, the bad and the groovy Rediscovering the music of Hugo Montenegro

BY JIM MELLOAN It was sometime in 1966 when Hugo Montenegro went into an RCA studio with some session musicians on a Saturday to do a cover of the theme from “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly,� Italian director Sergio Leone’s third installment of his “Dollars Trilogy� of spaghetti westerns. All three of the films had been scored by the prolific Italian composer Ennio Morricone. The opening theme for this third film was particularly haunting — a two-note melody sounding like a whistled call across a desert landscape, followed by a variety of instruments evoking tumbleweeds, desolation, and violence. Montenegro added a stronger beat with strummed guitar chords to give the tune a poppier feel, with the opening melody played on an ocarina, and the response on a harmonica, with hand movements producing the wah-wah sound. Montenegro’s own voice supplied the grunting Indian sounds, and famous whistler Muzzy Marcellino did his thing. The recording was released in 1968, and after a slow build, and much to Montenegro’s surprise, it became a pop hit, reaching No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 on June 1, 1968 — 50 years ago this weekend.

It is a joy today to bathe in the music Montenegro created. He was born in New York City in 1925, and served in the Navy for two years, mostly as an arranger for the Naval Station Newport (a base in Rhode Island). After the war, he studied music at Manhattan College. His first recording was with the Glen-Spice Orchestra, arranging and conducting Dion’s first recording, “Out in Colorado� and “The Chosen Few,� pre-Belmonts, with backing by a group called The Timberlanes. The entire record had been recorded before Dion was chosen as the lead singer.

In 1960, Montenegro recorded several albums for Time Records (no relation to Time Inc., the magazine publisher). The first was a blast of energy heralding the new decade, called “Bongos + Brass.â€? This and many albums like it from that era were designed to show off new stereo recording technologies (in Time Records’ case, something called Process 70), and boost sales of hi-fi equipment. It was clearly meant to be played in plush living rooms with ultra-modern dĂŠcor and furnishings, as background to cocktail parties where the martinis flowed freely and TheVillager.com

Lalo Schifrin, who and “The Wrecking Crew.� In my recwould later write ollection both really got my adolescent the famous “Mission juices flowing when I saw them in the Impossible� theme), theater in London, doubtless due in RCA released two part to the soundtrack. (The theme successful albums song for “The Ambushers� was written M o n t e n e g r o by famed Monkees songwriters Boyce arranged and con- and Hart.)

Montenegro went on to score “Lady ducted with music from that show. The in Cement,� a 1968 thriller starring music on the albums Frank Sinatra and Raquel Welch, was much more high “Charro!,� a 1969 western starring fidelity and punchier Elvis Presley, “The Undefeated,� a 1969 than anything peo- John Wayne western, and “Viva Max,� ple were going to a 1969 comedy western starring Peter hear on their televi- Ustinov. He also continued to churn sions at the time. He out albums, notably 1969’s “Moog also came out with Power,� featuring the synthesizer. The an album of music album cover of that one shows his Via discogs.com from spy mov- bearded, mephistophelean face with a The synthesizer-infused “Moog Power� includes a killer veries and TV shows patch board in his forehead, and Daysion of the fast middle part of “MacArthur Park.� called “Come Spy Glo electric rays zapping from his visage. It includes a killer version of the With Me.�

Around this time he wrote the fast middle part of “MacArthur Park.� the people were beautiful and sexy.

In the ’70s, Montenegro scored sevThis one starts off with a killer ver- new, sprightly theme for “I Dream of sion of Edvard Grieg’s “In the Hall of Jeannie,� used in seasons 2 through 5, eral TV shows, notably “The Partridge the Mountain King.� The Who, Rick a welcome replacement for the tired Family.� His last score, for a 1977 Wakeman, and many others before and waltz that was used in the first season. thriller called “The Farmer,� is apparafter would adapt this number, but this (That theme also has lyrics, written by ently lost. It is said to be chilling elecone puts them all to shame. There are Buddy Kaye, although they were never tronic music. The film was given an X rating until the director succeeded in also stellar versions of “Slaughter on used.)

His first real film scoring job was for screening it before the ratings board Tenth Avenue,� “Take the A Train,� “Hurry Sundown,� a 1967 Southern again, without the score, and it was and “Laura.�

This one was followed in short order racial drama set after World War re-assigned an R and distributed by with a trio of albums: “Cha Chas II, produced and directed by Otto Columbia for 17 years. But it was never for Dancing� (whose tracks include Preminger, a critical flop. But after that released on DVD because the music “Tea for Two� and “Mack the Knife�), Montenegro was back in his wheel- rights could not be found. Montenegro “Boogie Woogie + Bongos� (“Peter house. There’s James Bond, there’s suffered from severe emphysema in Gunn,� “Begin the Beguine�), and Napoleon Solo and Ilya Kuryakin, his later years, and died in 1981 at “Arriba!� (which shows Montenegro there’s Maxwell Smart, there’s Derek age 55.

An Australian label called The getting into the Hispanic/Western Flint — but for some of us, the ne plus style later reflected in his Morricone ultra of secret agents is Dean Martin’s Omni Recording Corporation released Matt Helm, the boozing, babe-loving, a compilation album of Montenegro’s covers).

In 1961 Time released “Montenegro hedonic hero of four films. Montenegro works in 2008 called “Mr. Groovy.� in Italy,� featuring classic Italian scored the last two, “The Ambushers� Good title. songs suffused with sounds purportedly from the streets and canals of Italy. Montenegro arranged Harry Belafonte’s orchestra in the early ’60s.

Theater for the New City • 155 1st Avenue at E. 10th St. Reservations & Info (212) 254-1109 His work can be heard on “Belafonte at For more info, please visit www.theaterforthenewcity.net the Greek Theaterâ€? (1963), and “In My Quiet Roomâ€? (1966). By 1965 he was well-known enough that “Bongos + /-% ' *. *(! 2 Brassâ€? was re-released as “Montenegro and Mayhem.â€?

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May 24, 2018

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