Mannix

The finale of our tribute to Lalo
Schifrin is once again a theme
that the composer created for a
strong male character – Mannix.
He is a private investigator
who goes his own way and
has a rather alarming number
of personal enemies. Schifrin
also chose his own way while
working on this action series of
the late 60s and early 70s by
composing a ¾ beat title tune.
The result is a swift waltz which
develops a rather stirring verve
due to the »swing« in the music.

Mannix is an excellent example
for how Schifrin approaches
assignments. It seems as if he
really needs to understand the
main character first. His scores
give the respective protagonists
a subtext they wouldn‘t have
without the music. Schifrin likes
to play with the expectations of
listeners and challenges
them constantly. Yet, he
always managed to create
memorable melodies
that go beyond the
borders of the action
genre. His musical
habitat – jazz –
breaks through
regularly.