Re: Genre-blurring Soundtrack composers

Greetings all!

Elsewhere on this site, I listed my ten favourite composers of all time – to wit:

J.S. Bach
Claude Debussy
Igor Stravinsky
B�la Bart�k
Duke Ellington
Miles Davis
Charles Mingus
Lennon / McCartney (okay, so I cheated, there’s two of them)
Steve Morse
Ennio Morricone

If you want to include improvisers – instant composers, so to speak – then John Coltrane, Jimi Hendrix, Frank Zappa and Ravi Shankar would find their way onto my list as well.

Morricone makes my list because he’s the only soundtrack composer I’ve heard who (espeically in his early-1970s work) consistently incorporates elements of progressive rock, psychedelia, jazz fusion &c. into his music. In fact, Zappa’s comedy-laden experiments aside, he’s probably the only 20th-century classical composer I’ve heard who does this.

So: Can anyone here recommend soundtrack composers, or specific soundtracks, that also incorporate these elements?

So far I know of three soundtracks that fit this criteria, more or less:

* Jerry Goldsmith’s score for the original Planet of the Apes (1968);
* Simon Fisher Turner’s score for Edward II (1995); and
* Eric Serra’s score for The Fifth Element (1997).

With the exception of the Goldsmith, none of them are quite as progressive as Morricone at his frenzied peak – but at least they trend in the right direction.

Suggestions, anyone? 😉

Great topic. My background is far more informed by video game music history than film music, but one name that comes to mind who would lightly fit these criteria is Lalo Schifrin, if you’ve not heard his work.

One name that comes to mind who would lightly fit these criteria is Lalo Schifrin.

Great answer arthurgolden. Just checking his discography, I see titles like…

* 1964: Explorations with Louis Bellson (Roulette)
* 1965: Jazz Suite on the Mass Texts with Paul Horn (RCA Victor)
* 1966: The Dissection and Reconstruction of Music From the Past as Performed By the Inmates of Lalo Schifrin’s Demented Ensemble as a Tribute to the Memory of the Marquis De Sade (Verve)
* 1971: Rock Requiem (Verve)

…all of which sound quite promising.

Do you have any specific recommendations?

———- Post added at 09:45 AM ———- Previous post was at 09:42 AM ———-

Oh – and – I should say that if you know any video game music that meets these criteria, please feel free to mention it! Great music is great music, irrespective of genre or pigeonhole. 😉