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Bullitt
Lalo Schifrin
Film Score Monthly

His "Mission: Impossible" TV show theme may be more immediately recognizable and well known, but Lalo Schifrin's score for Bullitt ('68) remains the most satisfyingly "Schifrin-esque" in his ouevre, and as such essential to every soundtrack collection.

Bullitt wasn't Schifrin's first crime jazz soundtrack by a long-shot, but when it dropped it influenced the direction of the genre, steering it toward felonious funk (see my book for more on this transformation).

Schirfrin first explored the crime jazz sound a few years earlier on the sexy French thriller Les Felins (aka Joy House), starring Alain Delon and Jane Fonda in their youthful prime.

It was on Bullitt that Schifrin found the perfect on-screen character for his swinging modern sound. Actor Steve McQueen's charismatic, self-assured performance as Det. Lt. Frank Bullitt is well served by Schifrin's propulsive, brassy electric bass-driven grooves with hard-hitting beats. Schifrin would further develop this sound on subsequent scores (such as Dirty Harry and Enter the Dragon, not to mention TV's Starsky & Hutch and Mannix).

Bullitt melds funk and swing. The hard and lean main theme rumbles forth on a muscular agile bass line and insistent beat with jazz guitar in the lead. On tracks that are by turns action-packed ("Hotel Daniels"), propulsive ("On the Road to San Mateo"), hard-driving ("Ice Pick Mike") and prowling ("Shifting Gears"), Schifrin works his orchestral jazz groove. It's as revved up and polished as the muscle cars used in the film's legendary chase scene (go Ford Mustang).

As expected, Film Score Monthly's well annotated and illustrated edition of Bullitt includes both the original album recording (that has influenced so many soul jazz and groove musicians) and the versions heard in the film, which have never appeared on CD before.

Even if you know the original (or Schifrin's fine re-recording from a few years ago) you owe it to yourself to hear the music as it appears in the movie. Some of the film versions are distinctively different from album versions and just as appealing. It's noticeable on the first track, the main theme. The film version is lowdown compared to the album version, but builds into a fiercely swinging funk monster in the middle section with drum breaks and stunningly psychedelic production values.

Elsewhere in the film versions, Schifrin further explores his Latin roots ("Cantata for Combo"), exotic jazz ("A Song for Cathy"), full-tilt acid blues rock ("Hotel Daniels" radio source), full-swagger swing ("Room 26") and chilled retro lounge ("The Aftermath of Love"). There's a demo of the main theme as well, which is nice and lean, but a little tentative until the tempo quickens.

Essential listening.

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A.D3 Operazione Squalo Bianco / L'uomo Del Colpo Perfetto
Tecnica Di Un Omicidio / Quella Carogna Dell'Ispettore Sterling
Robby Poitevin
GDM Music

Little is known about Robby Poitevin, composer of a handful of Italian film scores from the late '60s, four of which are collected on these two GDM releases.

The main theme for Tecnica di un Omicidio (aka Professional Killer, '66) is a catchy crime jazz prowler with swaggering brass, sinuous flutes and a strong rhythm section. It's a killer. On "My Man", the mood is mellow for a couple of minutes with smoky flute and vibes before a bossa nova rhythm kicks in for the final minute. Intrigue returns on the combustably percusisve "Central Station" and the tension-building abstraction "Clint in Agguato". The mood goes from chill to anxious on "Alba a New York." Another brassy crime jazz track is "Bassifondi". The swinging English-language version of "My Man" is performed by an unnamed but capable female vocalist. Overall, it's a minor but enjoyable crime jazz score.

Quella Carogna Dell'Ispettore Sterling (aka The Falling Man, '67) starts with a lively Italian-language song sung by the legendary modern choir of Alessandroni. From there, Poitevin provides a blend of jazzy, Latin-esque and easy moods favoring brass and keyboards (organ and electric harpsichord). On the languid "One More Step," featuring an English-language vocal and melody borrowed from the main theme, is pleasingly intriguing thanks to the unusual tones employed by the organist and electric guitar player. Other highlights include the swinging "Strade, Luci, Notte" and psychedelically abstract "Ossessione die un Ricordo" and "Allucinazione."

For the spy flick A.D3 Operazione Squalo Bianco (aka Operation White Shark, '66), Poitevin provides a typically Italian twist on the '60s spy sound — small group jazz, a bit of bossa nova, and moods that range from suave and sexy to suspenseful to slightly silly. Like most b-movie scores, there are a couple of themes at work here, with multiple variations. The main theme serves a variety of moods, ranging from carnival-esque to tension-building (with some unusual treated piano effects). Occasionally, the main theme is refered to as "The Syndicate," and makes great use of harpsichord, electric guitar, percussion and flute over a swaggering rhythm. In addition, there is "Bubba Dub Bossa," which gets its name for the catchy call-and-response, male and female vocals of the Alessandroni choir.

Operation White Shark is paired with L'uomo Del Colpo Perfetto (aka Hot Diamonds in Cold Blood, '67), which features a groovy, frenetic main theme with a youthful bouncy beat, electric guitar rhythm and the Alessandroni choir. In addition, there are tracks of Near East intrigue featuring exotic percussion (sometimes with a nice backbeat) as well as abstract tension-builders with watery sounding electric guitar lines, echoing percussion and that standby of spy jazz, the harpsichord.

Overall, Poitevin's crime/spy jazz scores are enjoyable if not groundbreaking and worth discovering if you love the genre.

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A.A.A. Massagiatrice Bella Presenza Offresi...
Lallo Gallo
Beat Records

Rarely seen outside of Italy, this sexy thriller (its title translates to A.A.A. Masseuse, Good-Looking, Offers Her Services) features an atmospheric score by Lallo Gori, a lesser known Cinecitta composer who nonetheless scored at least 90 movies.

Like most giallo movie scores, this one is a mix of sensual romantic passages, tension-building cues and groovy nightclub numbers. The schziod opening theme starts off as a catchy "swinging '60s" track featuring solo flute, but digresses into sinister beatless passages before resuming the beat with the carefree elements tinged with tension. It perfectly describes the basic premise of most giallo movies: attractive protagonist haunted or terrorized by unknown assailant.

Gori's orchestrations (which use small string and brass sections, electric guitar, bass guitar, piano, organ, xylophone, drums and percussion) are pleasingly lean and uncluttered.

While A.A.A. isn't likely to take the place of more famous giallo scores in anyone's "top 10" it will please aficionados.

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Fathom
John Dankworth
Harkit Records

In the world of '60s spy films, Fathom ('67) starring Raquel Welch, is neither the best or worst in the genre — and the same can be said of its soundtrack by John Dankworth, who also scored the more familiar Modesty Blaise.

On paper, Fathom the movie has some of the elements that make a spy flick work: an attractive star, gadgets and exotic locations, but doesn't have enough action to keep the viewer fully engaged.

Dankworth's score is a lush affair, favoring strings, woodwinds, muted brass, breezy wordless choral vocals and lilting rhythms. It's easy on the ear and hummable up to a point, but a bit fluffy and forgettable too. It's more interesting when it goes for intrigue or action ("Jump to the Villa," "Bullring" "Tango Sinister" "Chorale to a Scuba-Diver" and "Vacation Chase" are the better cuts).

The Harkit addition comes with informative bilingual illustrated liner notes.

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Dramatic Funk Themes Vol. 2
Various Artists
Showup Records

Dramatic Funk Themes Vol. 2, like its predecessor, compiles thrilling rare grooves by the cream of British music libraries. In this case, the featured labels include KPM, Bruton, Music De Wolfe, Peer International. The program reads like a who's who of '70s funky library era: John Hawksworth, Keith Mansfield, Nick Ingman, Alan Hawkshaw, Johnny Pearson, Brian Bennett and more.

There are tracks with titles that describe criminal activity like "Gun Man", "Hit Man" and "Hot Property" that wouldn't sound out of place in a TV cop show of the era. And since we're talking about the '70s, there are themes that wouldn't sound out of place in a car commercial ("Fast Drive," "Fuel Injection" "Soul City Drive"). There is a widescreen vitality in these tracks thanks to driving rhythms, vibrant horn sections and blazing guitar work.

The selections come from some famous library albums such as Big Beat, Heavy Truckin', Bite Hard, Drama Montage and Rock City, but also some lesser known albums like Big Business/Wind of Change and Jazzrock. Interestingly, the compiler has seen fit to list the value of these long-out-of-print, never commercially released albums (from $25 to $250).

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