Vagabond Synth Nerd’s Journal Vol. 247 - Composer Lalo Schifrin: The Driving Force Behind Mission: Impossible

The Final Countdown Begins for the New Mission: Impossible—Dead Reckoning

I found out during an evening entertainment news segment that Tom Cruise visited the Ghibli Museum in Mitaka.
Tom Cruise was in Japan for the first time in three years to promote Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning.

The Composer of Mission: Impossible Is Also a Jazz Musician!

When I first heard the theme song from Mission: Impossible, starring Tom Cruise, I had a moment of confusion—“Wait, this sounds familiar…” It was quite some time ago.
After doing some research, I discovered that while the song is indeed the theme for the film starring Tom Cruise, it originally came from an American TV drama that aired in Japan over 50 years ago. That cleared up my confusion.
The title of the original show was Mission: Impossible (known in Japan as Spy Daisakusen). Some younger people may not know this, but the famous theme song used in the Mission: Impossible films is actually a rearranged version of the original theme. That’s because the first Mission: Impossible film was based on a TV drama.

Spy Daisakusen aired in Japan starting in 1967 on the Fuji TV network. The show even won an Emmy Award, which is a testament to how well-made it was.
I don’t remember the details of the show itself, but the image of the lit fuse and the music from the opening sequence are still vivid in my memory.
The distinctive 5/4 melody is forever etched into children’s brains. It was full of tension, signaling the start of something. It was simple yet striking.
The composer of that iconic theme song was Lalo Schifrin, an Argentine composer, arranger, and jazz musician.
Lalo Schifrin is a legendary film composer who worked on soundtracks for many iconic films. In addition to Mission: Impossible, he is known for his work on Enter the Dragon, Dirty Harry, Bullitt, and many other masterpieces.
The Mission: Impossible (or Spy Daisakusen) theme even won a Grammy Award. However, this is just one of many Grammy wins for Schifrin. He has been nominated 21 times and won four times throughout his career.
Moreover, Schifrin didn’t just limit his work to soundtracks. He also released numerous solo albums and other works. Truly, he is a multifaceted genius and a towering figure in the world of music.

Lalo Schifrin’s Backbone: A Hybrid of Jazz and Latin American Rhythms

Lalo Schifrin, born in 1932, is an Argentine jazz pianist, composer, and arranger. At the age of 20, he moved to Paris to study music and he supported himself as a jazz pianist during his time there.
At 23, he performed with the bandoneon master Astor Piazzolla and participated in the Paris International Jazz Festival.
His circle of musical collaborators extended far beyond Piazzolla. He also performed with many jazz legends, including trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie and alto saxophonist Charlie Parker.
At 28, Schifrin became the pianist and arranger for the Dizzy Gillespie Orchestra and later joined Quincy Jones’s orchestra as well—an impressive résumé by any measure.
Because the jazz label Verve was a subsidiary of a film production company at the time, this connection paved the way for Schifrin’s entry into film scoring.

■ Recommended Album: Lalo Schifrin – Mission: Impossible (Spy Daisakusen) (1997)

Mission: Impossible, which began in 1996, is an outrageous spy-action series following Ethan Hunt, an agent of the American covert intelligence agency IMF (Impossible Mission Force), as he takes on seemingly impossible missions.
The films are packed with elaborate stunts and rapidly shifting storylines.
Many of the entries in the series make excellent use of music as part of the storytelling. For example, the cutback scene with a flamenco dancer in the second film, while this is a familiar technique, it leaves a strong impression.
Another notable scene is in the Vienna Musikverein, where an opera performance and a musical score intersect with an attempted assassination of a prime minister. Here, sound and visuals merge to captivate the viewer.
The Mission: Impossible theme music is filled with the kind of tension Lalo Schifrin excels at creating. His signature approach involves placing a tense, repeating riff at the beginning that plays over the melody.
As the riff evolves, it brings about subtle changes to create a unique and palpable sense of suspense.

■ Recommended Album: Lalo Schifrin – Enter the Dragon (1973)

Enter the Dragon is a Hollywood-made kung fu film released in 1973. This film played a major role in introducing the world to Bruce Lee's intense persona and Shaolin martial arts.
Although Bruce Lee had previously starred in kung fu films from Hong Kong, Enter the Dragon became a polished, sophisticated work thanks to its Hollywood production—and that refinement led to its explosive success.
The title track, much like the Mission: Impossible theme, opens with a dramatic orchestral hit, followed by Bruce Lee’s iconic battle cry and metallic-sounding melodic lines that together create an exotic, Eastern atmosphere.
The instrument playing the main theme is clearly a Moog synthesizer. The use of portamento (pitch glide) adds an eerie, suspenseful edge. This structure is reminiscent of the Mission: Impossible theme.
The fact that Schifrin chose to use a synthesizer to carry the main theme in 1973 showed how remarkably forward-thinking he was. It might just be proof of why he remains as a revered master to this day.
Even now, this title track is still used in commercials, which is a testament to its enduring power and cultural impact.

■ Recommended Album: Lalo Schifrin – Latin Jazz Suite (1999)

Released in 1999, Latin Jazz Suite is one of Lalo Schifrin’s finest live albums. In addition to this release, Schifrin produced many other albums in the Latin jazz and bossa nova genres.
Listening to this album, one can clearly hear the strong influence of salsa, jazz, bossa nova from Latin music and all of these genres seamlessly integrated into his compositions.

Recommended Track: “Montuno”

This salsa-based piece starts, true to its title, with an acoustic piano playing a classic montuno rhythm. In the middle section, a lively trumpet solo takes the spotlight, plunging the listener into a full-fledged salsa world. Then, with the entrance of the tenor sax solo, the rhythm shifts to a swinging 4-beat jazz feel, which showcases Schifrin’s colorful and versatile rhythmic structuring.
This track demonstrates how deeply Schifrin has absorbed a wide range of musical styles and his understanding that forms are the backbone of his soundtrack compositions.
Toward the end, Schifrin delivers a salsa-flavored piano solo, followed by a 4-beat jazz solo that affirms his stature as a truly gifted jazz musician.

Featured in This Column: Musician, Albums, and Recommended Tracks

• Artist: Lalo Schifrin (and others)
• Albums: Mission: Impossible, Enter the Dragon, Latin Jazz Suite
• Recommended Tracks: “Theme from Mission: Impossible (Spy Daisakusen)”, “Theme from Enter the Dragon”, “Montuno”

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