ALVIN ALCORN
ALVIN ALCORN
James Bond Movie - Live and Let Die (1973)
Alvin Alcorn was one of the best trumpeters that trombonist Kid Ory ever had, and he is heard in his prime on Ory’s Good Time Jazz albums from the 1950s. Alcorn had a mellow tone and the knack for perfectly placing his notes so Ory’s band could build up ensemble after ensemble during the last part of their performances. But what does the New Orleans trumpeter have to do with this James Bond movie?
Live and Let Die, the first James Bond film with Roger Moore playing the secret agent, has a typically complicated plot and a cast filled with beautiful women. The story-line, which involves free heroin, voodoo and various murders, has a few scenes set in New Orleans, including two in which the Olympia Brass band plays at funerals, performing spirited if brief versions of “Just a Closer Walk With Thee” and “Joe Avery’s Blues.”
In one of those scenes, Alcorn is asked by one of the agents whose funeral it is. Alcorn says his single-word line, “Yours,” and stabs him. It is fair to say that few other New Orleans trumpeters ever had an opportunity to play an assassin in a film."
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Source: From the Jazz Times magazine, an excerpt from an article called "Quick Takes: 10 Classic Jazz Cameo Performances", written in september 2007 by Scott Yanow.