Sunday, 24 November 2024

More jazz flute! The original Mission Impossible theme (1967)


The theme to the first series of Mission Impossible has been covered innumerable times (including one I linked recently) - but the original arrangement and performance is surely the best. 

So much to enjoy! First and foremost is the wildly syncopated riffs above a 10/8 time-signature (not, as oft stated, 5/4 - it is subdivided into 3/8, 3/8, 4/8*).

And secondly is the overblown, shrieking jazz flute solo (regular reader may recall my fondness for jazz flute).

Third is the orchestration itself - starting with that weird percussive noise on triangle/ violins, the uneven bass riff, alternating sections of the band, and ending with a crunching dissonance.  


*This is actually the case for most successful pieces+ in "5/4" time - if you were conducting them, you would want to give the down-beats (in bold italics) as follows: 1 2 3  5 6  7 9 10 

+ More jazz flute...!

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