The Unknown

The Unknown is saxophonist/composer Phillip Johnston's soundtrack to the 1927 silent film of the same name. As with much of Johnston's other work, the music here is a witty, often changing mix of sounds and styles from various eras. Appropriately, there is an emphasis on various film music archetypes, although not just from the silent film era, but from more modern times, too. The tracks weave in and out of frantic, polka-driven chase-scene themes, genteel waltzes, nostalgic parlor-room piano sections, sultry noir-jazz passages, and more. Johnston also adds in more modern elements, from dissonant horn harmonies and free-leaning improvisation to a few rock-oriented rhythms and even some electronic/synthesizer touches. As a result, the music often feels familiar and hard to place at the same time. Johnston knows how to evoke a wide range of moods, whether it be suspense, melancholy, or something less easy define, and the main melodic themes are memorable as well as cleverly arranged each time they recur. This music holds up just fine without the visuals; one only wishes that the actual performances were a little more impassioned and less restrained than they are in places.