- The first ever vinyl release (and full remaster) of Lalo Schifrin’s soundtrack to Man On A Swing is about to become available. If you don't know him by name you could probably hum one of his tunes - the Mission Impossible theme comes to mind, being Hollywood’s go-to man for snappy action tracks. It is not just action movies he scored though - proving to be one of the most versatile film composers of all time.

Schifrin was born into a musical family and was encouraged to learn traditional styles at an early age. By the mid-1950s he was studying at the Conservatoire de Paris while playing jazz in Parisian nightclubs. A year later he met and arranged for Dizzy Gillespie, proving himself as jazz musician in his own right. Around this time is when he began doing sound for film and TV. With a comprehensive knowledge of classical, Latin AND jazz styles, Schifrin's work is both incredibly deft and varied. The Man On A Swing OST is a great example of this - touching on jazz, Latin and contemporary styles while bringing in the Wrecking Crew’s Emil Richards, Bud Shank and Howard Roberts (amongst other strong studio musicians).

These jazz leans are evident in a number of the songs, such as Smooth Factory Vibe, with a lush arrangement complete with a beautiful melody carried out by oboe (or is it cor anglais?). Another lovely string arrangement can be heard in Trip to LA, a suitably breezy track with rather minimal instrumentation. Also we’re given three iterations of the super-smooth Juke Box Source, a laid back, Latin infused number with electric keys, vibraphone, drums, acoustic guitar. Parking Lot Shuffle is quite a traditional jazz piece in itself, with its lead clarinet evoking the Disneyland era. On The Move is another jazzy piece complete with muted trumpet and saxophone.

This is punctuated by more dissonant, atmospheric compositions. Schifrin talked about first learning the power of music and the moving image early on, noticing how the use Brechtian techniques would generate most of the tension on-screen. Being a thriller, you know Man On A Swing probably needed these cues to ramp up the stress. This ranges from the overtonal dissonance of Dialatone or the end credits music or the eerie Evelyn Story with its strings and piano. Maggie Retraced is another stripped down piece starting with piano arpeggios that lead into an intriguing string arrangement.

Though it may not be as well known as some of his other scores, Man On A Swing is a soundtrack by a consummate musician at the height of his powers. A few innovative composers changed the sound of the movies, incorporating classical orchestration along with more contemporary styles like jazz and rock; in doing so they put themselves in a league of their own. I'm speaking of Ennio Morricone, John Barry and, without a doubt, Lalo Schifrin.

- Hillfolk.