The ensemble employed by Zimmer for Pacific Heights consists primarily of his usual array of synthesizers, though the score benefits greatly from soloists on piano, saxophone, bass, and trumpet (along with the soulful female voice typical to the composer's scores back then), lending the obvious noir touch to the atmosphere. These elements contribute most frequently to the first half of the score, "Part I" and "Part II" on the album conveying the bulk of the thematic development. In the final part, this snazzy instrumentation is allowed to whip up ambitious rhythms to accompany the revenge sequences on screen. A couple of motifs exist in Pacific Heights, muddied by some allusions to classical music that were also somewhat common to Zimmer's work. The most interesting theme is a rhythmic idea that uses a synthetic cimbalom effect that will, along with the hyperactive string movements in these cues, oddly generate comparisons to the much later Sherlock Holmes. Blatantly electronic, almost harsh brass samples are a minor detraction from these passages, but they provide necessary muscle. The primary theme, however, is the classical holdover that is translated from solo piano into surprisingly nimble jazzy incarnations, especially in "Part II." This seven-minute cue is largely devoid of the score's troubling dissonant material and is an absolute must for Zimmer collectors (it appeared on one of Varèse Sarabande's massive anniversary compilations). Under infectious piano and sax performances of heightened intensity, Zimmer stretches out his keyboarding to the highest ranges with intriguing flute-like tones atop the ensemble. When the mournful voice joins the group, the recipe becomes intoxicating. An even greater role for the sax, as in Jerry Goldsmith's concurrent The Russia House, especially with the flourishes in performance style like the one at 5:34 in "Part II," could have made this score a classic. Slight oriental character in the music carries over from Black Rain to represent the other, more abiding tenants in Pacific Heights, and there is little new to appreciate in these cues. Zimmer has written some fantastic music of an exotic nature in his career, but this doesn't benefit from that talent. Instead, the noir jazz is where Pacific Heights becomes memorable, and a crisp recording quality allows for about twenty minutes of very satisfying melodic exploration in the whole. It's unfortunate that Zimmer has infrequently revisited a sense of style this thick in his blockbuster years.  ****   @Amazon.com: CD or Download