I've always said that the best friend of any independent film is its cast. Thankfully, P.J., directed by Russ Emanuel, features an incredible cast of talented actors. The film additionally shows off New York in all its glory, with both vivid colors and beautiful sights.

The film also has an incredible score by composer Neil Argo, which goes along well with the cast's fine, performances and the beauty of New York City. Needless to say, the two are a match made in movie heaven

Neil Argo (Wild America, Skeleton Coast Safari, episodes of Melrose Place, Burke’s Law, Macgyver, etc.) has scored a new theatrical release called P.J. Based on a 1984 play by Mark McQuown, the film stars John Heard, Vincent Pastore, Robert Piccardo, and Hallie Kate Eisenberg, and is about a man named P.J. who witnesses a horrific accident and subsequently retreats into himself. He is brought to a hospital where the resident psychiatrist (Heard) tried to get through to him with the help of P.J.’s bitter girlfriend; meanwhile the doctor is facing his own inner demons.

The film embraces Argo’s reflective and thoughtful score, which won a Bronze medal for “Best Impact of Music in a Feature Film” at this year’s Park City Film Music Festival. A soundtrack release should be hopefully forthcoming; in the meantime samples of this and other scores are available on the composer’s web site and are well worth having a listen to.

Argo’s music is quietly intimate, emphasizing acoustic guitar which is often heard solo in the body of the film. His main theme is introduced in the Main Title, a compelling and uplifting melody for strings over piano, which is developed out more fully in the nearly 5- minute End Title suite, which progresses into a warm and quite lovely piano and saxophone piece, very nicely textured and arranged. It’s a very pretty melody, nicely carried along and gives the film a full sense of emotive poignancy. The motif is fragmented and recurs amidst the body of the film, as in the thoughtful “How Did He Know?” There are also a variety of solo acoustic guitar pieces and several short jazzy “hip” string bass motifs laced throughout the score to enhance brief moments of P.J.’s recovery. A melancholy motif associated with the New York skyline, which has meaning for P.J., is provided through tender winds and strings; the character of Claire also has her own very despondent theme for layered strings with a hint of woodwinds. “Save Me,” in particular, provides a fervent musical cry for help in its pleasing high strings. But gradually the score’s fragments come together and the cues take on a more confident melodic progression, culminating in the very pleasing “Montage Wrap” and “Conclusion,” which resolves the story, and the score, and the fairly downhearted mood of both, into and light and airy musical denouement of recovery and reassurance.

Almost any film music reviewer will attest to the fact that you find more duds than gems when dealing with scores from little-known composers, and I didn't expect much from this score. I am pleased to reported that Mr. Argo's score for “PJ” is a hidden gem, one that I sincerely hope is made available to the public at some point.

This intimate orchestral score was a very pleasant surprise, reminding me a little bit of the low-key work of Elmer Bernstein. The opening “P. J. Main Title” is a gorgeous (though brief) piece of music that hooked me immediately. Performed by a string ensemble, woodwinds, and piano, it's a
heartbreakingly old-fashioned and lush composition that will surely appeal
to fans of composers like Bernstein and Delerue. The theme shows up
every now and then, but not enough to wear out it's welcome by any
means.

Throughout much of the score, the music remains very low-key, relying a minimal amount of players. Early cues such as “Big Seizure!” offer one of the primary thematic ideas heard in the score, some ominously serene string writing that may remind some listeners of the calmer passages in Jerry Goldsmith's “Alien”. As we move along, the acoustic guitar begins to play
an increasing large role, sometimes taking on reflective solo cues (“Mental
Institutions”) and occasionally collaborating with the strings (“A Latin
Quarrel”). One of my favorite guitar pieces is the gentle “Goodbye”, which
effectively demonstrates just how effective quiet simplicity can be at
times.

The string writing starts to dominate again as we head into the final third of the album. The finest portion of the album probably begins with “Show Me
New York”, which kicks off a series of very fine cues such as “Save Me”, “It's a Miracle”, “Claire Remembered”, “Get Together”, and “Montage Wrap”. In all of these cues, Argo carefully avoids letting the music become too explicitly emotional. They are moving and thoughtful pieces, but he usually holds back just a little bit, waiting until precisely the right moments to unleash pure melodic bliss. The big payoff comes at the end, with the brief “Conclusion” and the sublime “End Title”, which gives us a gentle jazz arrangement of that wonderful main theme.

If the score is ever made available to the public, I hope that it will be re-arranged into a slightly tighter listening experience. That being said, this is an excellent effort. It's precisely the sort of timeless film scoring that we hear so precious little of these days, and that deserves recognition. If you ever get the chance to pick up a copy, by all means do so. I hope we hear more from Mr. Argo in the future.”

Rating: **** (out of five)

Long time television composer Neil Argo (PBS’s WILD AMERICA) has released this World Beat flavored soundtrack, compiling music from the
1993 National Geographic documentary, SURVIVORS OF THE SKELETON COAST along with cues from the PBS series it inspired, SKELETON COAST SAFARI (five cues each). Argo has supplemented these tracks with two
original compositions in a complementary style. The main theme for SURVIVORS is a wonderful, richly orchestrated melody for a full ensemble of woodwinds, French horn, and violins over cello, while that for SAFARI is a muted synth and percussion dominated theme. “The Skeleton Coast” introduces the West African coastal landscape with an evocative mix of woodwinds, drums, and synths. “Moroccan Night” mixes ethnic instruments with vocalisms, performed, oddly enough, on mostly Chinese instruments but retaining an appropriate atmosphere for the setting. Half of the cues feature drums and synths only, yet the programming is fresh and the melodies compelling. “African River Run” and “Ultralight Photography,” feature sampled woodwinds over rhythmic percussion, while “Sand Dune Elephants” captures a neat sonic texture. “Lions Chasing Giraffes” stops ahort of being true chase/action music, “Land Cruising Namibia” is all percussion and synth, while “Coastal Beaches,” which closes out the CD, adds a clear-toned alto sax and acoustic guitar.

The music throughout the CD is relaxing and absorbing, tranquil and persuasive.