African Swim and Manny & Lo

No Waver, Lounge Lizard, saxophonist, painter, actor, TV show host, composer… John Lurie is the consummate renaissance man. Moreover, his soundtrack work is exemplary. Lurie’s collaborations with Jim Jarmusch stretch back to the early ‘80s beginning with his score for Stranger Than Paradise, while he received a Grammy nod for his work on Get Shorty in 1995.

Taking in two soundtracks, this 1999 release is a fantastic example of Lurie’s depth and range with each short piece finding him mastering whatever he tries his hand at, from cool jazz and cinematic funk to horror show rockabilly, afrobeat, creepy Tom Waits-like clanking, Lynchian Americana and more.