Composer Hoyt Curtin becomes not just the amazing musical voice of JONNY QUEST but of the Hanna-Barbera empire. The entire 2 hour plus documentary is now on Rapidshare for downloading at my blog: chriswebber037....
Thank you HOYT CURTAIN for doing your part to help tame mankind with your gift, talent and for composing and arranging the soundtrack of our babyboom lives.
I took up trumpet too in the 70s and the JQ composition rules! I watched JQ in the 1960s. It first aired on Friday nights and The Flintstones were on Thursday nights on ABC. They switched nights and I really enjoyed The Flintstones, but JQ was MUST WATCH!!!
To me, the great injustice of 60's technology was that Hoyt Curtin couldn't have those same musicians record all those great musical cues in stereo! Since TV sets were fitted with monoraul speakers, there didn't seem to be a need for expensive stereo equipment. Just imagine if those studio musicians had recorded a stereo album of JONNY QUEST!
The cool thing is that we have the score and the historical performance references. There is no reason why equally talented musicians and arrangers couldn't work that out today and record the result.
Thank you for bringing the musical genious of Hoyt Curtin to light. He really wrote some incredible sound tracks to the Hanna Barbera cartoons of the 60's. His music really set the mood for all of the adventure in these cartoons. Hoyt ignored conventional (meaning boring) musical norms and really stepped out to compose some really fantastic music. If only there was a way to get his musical compositions on CD.
It's no coincidence that a show like Jonny Quest with its high-tech, undercover spy feel came out during the original James Bond era...the mid 60s. I wish I could go back to that time.
Right on! Curtin was one of the all time best composers of original American music. Imagine Johnny Quest, the Flintstones, or the Jetsons with the trite, campy music used in some cartoons. When you've outgrown the Hanna Barbara cartoons, Curtin's themes stay with you forever. Fantastic stuff, and such a wonderful snapshot of top notch '60s jazz!
Sir Hoyt Curtin...WE SALUTE YOU!! You gave me and so many other kids a happy childhood with your musical genius. The Flintstones, The Jetsons, Johnny Quest....need I go on? Chime in if you will.
The "Jonny Quest" signature tune & underscores by Curtin rivals *anything* that Lalo Schifrin ever did for telly & film, m8's! And "J.Q." is my ALL-TIME UBER-MEGA-ULTRA RAVE-FAVE toon & music! Thanx fer this retrospective vignette...
Jonny Quest was my BEST childhood cartoon of all. Great action. Lots of interesting locations. Bad bad guys and One Eyed monsters, oh yeah! But, it was that intro music that brought me back every Saturday morning!
Great tribute. Thanks for posting this. As a kid who loved music and never missed an episode of Johnny Quest, I always wondered about the musicians who wrote and performed all the great cartoon theme songs. Nice to finally hear the back story of such a talented musician as Mr. Curtin.
I've heard decades of Jazz, That sound Hoyt created was never copied; Imitated a bit, but; Listening to almost hours the cue's video on here; many times, It's staggering...I love the Top Cat opening too...Being a child of the sixties, I feel lucky to have experienced it first hand...I said thanks to you for the upload 6 years ago and thanks again..:)...,
Thanks so much for this upload...I grew up with all these shows and I hope those PHAT horn sounds are what formed the foundations for my love of music especially swing style Jazz...I could listen endlessly to those tasty horn riffs! :) Being a musician for many decades, I have stolen, er, I mean borrowed those upbeat tempos many times....:)
Thanks so much for this Video I grew up with all these music shows but never stop to know the gene back the magics sounds, was be the base for my love of music Jazz band.After these wonderfull times 1970, All music have a change and the world loss the magical formule. Hoyt S Curtin must be remember for ever with here name in hard.
Whenever I’m jogging up a a hill and need an extra burst of energy I hum under my breath the J. Quest theme music. I’ve been doing this for years. It always gets me going at full effort!
Thank you for this tribute to Hoyt Curtin. Truly a great composer and all around musician. I would have loved to be in the studio when they originally recorded the theme to Jonny Quest! Such great players.
Him and Jerry Goldsmith elevated their respective 60's TV shows to another level. Just through the score. They filled in gaps for the viewer and made it easier to become emotionally invested in what they were watching.
Spot on with the tribute to Hoyt Curtin. HB could not have reached their heights without his music. As a tween and beyond I looked forward to hearing the open and close to JQ!
I always wanted to know who was behind the absolute GENIUS of the JQ, Flintstones, Jetsons and Justice League (1970's) music. Now my questions have been answered..The Riffs in the Brass were just mind numbing..Absolute Prolific composer and producer of that time and BEYOND! Thank you so much 4 posting..Play on H.C. Heaven's Gain..
I used much of his quest music parts in a video I made - action doom assassin theme. Perfect. What a composer he was. Jonny Quest themes were often based on reality but I didn't know it when I was a child. Love the trombones! And trumpets too! And flutes! Hell - ALL of it!
I grew up watching these cartoons and listening to the genius of Hoyt. His music is a part of me and even now when I listen to the Johnny Quest theme, I get chills.
My search from the QT Hush theme led me here...by far the coolest keyboard piece ever.WOW ~ i hit the jackpot what a treat to learn about Hoyt Curtin was my influence.
Not so much The Wrecking Crew sir. Mostly the top call LA readers and of course a big band setting. Bud Brisbois on lead trumpet, Milt Bernhardt on 1st trombone, etc. Hoyt was indeed a genius
An EXCELLENT job covering this man's talent! An the various cartoon shows he wrote for , we as kids were certainly blessed for that music! Definitely a part of a happier time in my youth. Thank-you for bringing him out of the shadows. All due respect to H.B.!
Excellent video. I grew up listening to his music in those cartoons, but it wasn't until today that I am beginning to have a glimmer of understanding about what went into them. I'm going to have to go back and relisten to those theme songs to hear Mr. Curtin's genius.
Where have all the great theme music composers gone. The likes Alan Silvestri who composed the Avegers Lalo Schifrin Bullit and Michel Legrand,Ice Station Zebra and Henry Mancini and Gary Chang Dead Bang and Eric Gross'theme from sea spray and Hoyte Curtain .Jonny Quest ......Believe me these guys were a head of there time 4 sure
As an avid fan since my first memories as a small child in the early-mid Sixties watching cartoons, it is nice to see someone honor this amazing composer and unsung hero of the later part of the big band, super cool jazz era. I couldn't have put my appreciation into words any better than you did... THANX!
His music for Battle of the Planets is nothing short of amazing. SO good! I listen to it now just to listen to it! I don't have to be watching the show! I marvel at his skills!
Thank you for this post. A great part of my memory of Johnny Quest was my constant anticipation for each episode to hear that exciting intro music , the ending music. The background score added so much to the action.
WHAT a killer amazing tribute this is - Hoyt is smiling in that big booth in the sky at the love youve shown here!!- sharing this with all my facebook muse-pals here in Connecticut immed - thanks Chris!
The music of Hoyt Curtin made the show Jonny Quest, that much more exciting and thrilling, and he wrote The Flintstones, and the Jetsons theme music? wow!...
You are amazing, Chris! Thank you very much! You have done much research and I am truly grateful. I grew up with the HB and other cartoons, during the 1960s. I am learning a great deal from you. I appreciate all the work you have poured into this passion - it has to be a passion for anyone to cover this material so successfully! I am nostalgic and curious, so this series you have created is "right up my alley".
"That Big Brassy sound" totally reminds me of H.S. marching band competition performances out there on the football fields back in the 70s. But these guys were MUCH better!😁👍
Honestly, the "roughness" of the trombones adds an endearing quality to the performance. As an amateur musician myself (trumpet and french horn in HS), I can hear that it's not precise, but given the "rough and tumble" sound of the piece overall, a bunch of spot on trombones would not have hit the same way. I always thought the light trombone "mushiness" represented some sort of wild hand to hand combat where people are rolling around in dirt, throwing things, smashing into things...real Jackie Chan type stuff. Musically, it sounds like all of the instruments are having to really work to keep up with it all. The perfect approach and sound.
0:46 Hoyt's music for that escape scene in _The Lizardmen_ episode hooked me on the show when it first aired way back in 1964. Been trying to find an extended cut, or even the original score for years now. Thank you very much, for this marvelous insight behind the scenes, of a period in my life I hold dear.
I know what you mean. If you look at the scene again,the boat that Race has,has hydro foil legs mounted on the sides. When the boat makes the jump and is coming down on the bad guys,you can see the hydro foil legs on each side of the boat. The red sections on each side of the boat.
