Rosemary?

You can keep podocarus (japanese yew) very narrow as it grows tall. It is very attractive also.
I think I misread your post and was thinking that you wanted something 8 inches! Doh!

How about antique climbing roses? They are very easy to grow with no spraying. I also like lorapetalum, which is evergreen and grows very fast. I planted some two years ago and they are six feet tall and three feet wide. Also, camellia sasanqua can stand a good bit of sun. Some are fast growing. Finally, consider gardenias and sweet olive.

Thanks ya'll. Have you seen Rosemary trained/trimmed skinny? I think I'd like that in combination with something else.

How about tea olives?

I've been thinking about it more and like the yew. The h. doesn't need to be thick. I am trying to distract the eye from the 8' red brick foundation/above ground basement. Perhaps a combination of yew with tea olive and camilla. This will be on the house side of the drive with a shorter hedge on the away side.

Hey, I would do a hedge of Mutabalis roses. It would be awesome and look like a hedge of multicolored butterflyes.