Would you count Laurence Rosenthal's A RAISIN IN THE SUN? Though it dates to 1961, the setting was more or less contemporary at the time. The ensemble is not particularly "large," but it's definitely orchestral!
That was my first thought too, Wedge. Also I think there was a remake of it from a few years back, also with a good orchestral score.
Oh, more recently -- The Great Debaters, Malcolm X, and if you'd count a great TV movie that should've had a theatrical release: Chris Young's Something the Lord Made.but I guess those are all somewhat period films.
Well, it depends on your definitions of "primarily black" and "large orchestral" and "modern day." The fact is, not that many "modern day" films of any stripe have large orchestral scores, unless they're superhero movies or the like.
"Set It Off" has a Christopher Young score that's a hybrid of various styles, but it could count.
"Meteor Man" would count, though that score is supposed to be lampooning superhero conventions.
How about Terence Blanchard's "The Caveman's Valentine"?
more period pieces, but what kind of score did The Butler have? I thought the film was great but I can't remember the music,
and there's a 70s film of Leadbelly's life i caught a while ago, with a good rousing orchestral score by Fred Karlin. The film was well acted and well written, but had very stagey lighting and atmosphere for some reason, which held the whole thing back.
"Red Tails"? I can't remember what the score sounded like, however....
Orchestral with some quiet passages, but also (for reasons passing understanding) a mix of modern techno and overbearing choir. A real guilty pleasure score, to be sure.
Depends what you mean with 'modern age'. If you go back to the 70s, there's a whole slew of films in the 'blaxploitation' genre. But yeah -- very few with orchestral scores.
What about Spike Lee? He continually works with Terence Blanchard, and he often employs orchestral soundscapes.
Spike Lee's "Jungle Fever" has a spare but big & surprisingly almost 1950s-sounding score by Terrence Blanchard. This score was perhaps overshadowed by the extensive use of songs in that film - if my memory serves me correct, the songs are dialed up so high that they drown out the dialogue but the score, while big, functions more traditionally.
Lee's "Mo' Better Blues" has a neat orchestral/jazz score by his father, Bill Lee.
Good call on Elmer Bernstein's score for "Devil in a Blue Dress." A gorgeous score, but sadly a lot of it was discarded in favor of period songs. How is "A Rage in Harlem?" One of the few Bernstein scores I'm completely unfamiliar with.
There is a terrific and little-known 1959 film, "Take a Giant Step" starring Johnny Nash, that focuses on a black family. It has a very neat 1950s orchestral/jazz score by Jack Marshall.
Spike Lee's 1998 "He Got Game" was unusual in that it mostly used Aaron Copland music to underscore a contemporary urban basketball drama -- pretty effectively, I thought. Somebody posted the title sequence, which uses a montage of basketball players set to Copland's John Henry:
"Red Tails"? I can't remember what the score sounded like, however....
Orchestral with some quiet passages, but also (for reasons passing understanding) a mix of modern techno and overbearing choir. A real guilty pleasure score, to be sure.
Yeah, I quite like this score despite the anachronisms, the film however is utter patronising pants, avoid.
I love Blanchard's score for Miracle At St. Anna about black GI's in WW II Italy, a film not without faults but far better than Red Tails and worth a watch
Good call on Elmer Bernstein's score for "Devil in a Blue Dress." A gorgeous score, but sadly a lot of it was discarded in favor of period songs. How is "A Rage in Harlem?" One of the few Bernstein scores I'm completely unfamiliar with.
Mind you, I haven't seen the film since it came out, but my recollection is that RAGE IN HARLEM is very much in the WALK ON THE WILD SIDE vein. I recall lots of period songs, too.
Good call on Elmer Bernstein's score for "Devil in a Blue Dress." A gorgeous score, but sadly a lot of it was discarded in favor of period songs. How is "A Rage in Harlem?" One of the few Bernstein scores I'm completely unfamiliar with.
Another Bernstein-scored film with a black cast is 1959's ANNA LUCASTA.
