Alongside Johnny Dankworth and Laurie Johnson, Howard Blake is the third, none-the-less important, but often forgotten, contributor to The Avengers TV series music. Dankworth’s laid-back jazzy theme was the signature tune of the first three series, while Johnson penned the flamboyant rousing up-tempo theme to the three series shot on 35mm film.
Brought into the job late in the series in 1967 by Laurie Johnson, and on the recommendation of Bernard Herrmann, Howard Blake scored ten episodes in the sixth and final series starring Linda Thorson as Tara King alongside the stalwart Macnee. From big-band sound with modern jazz inflections and spooky trombone choir, flutes and vibraphones, to bass clarinets, solo piano, timpanis, amplified harpsichord, 'wah-wah' guitar and Fender-Rhodes electric piano, Blake created a rich and relevant score that remains a classic to this day"
