Gil Mellé
# Gil Mellé

Gilbert John Mellé (31 December 1931 – 28 October 2004) was an American artist, jazz musician and film composer.

## Life and career

In the 1950s, Mellé created the cover art for albums by Miles Davis, Thelonious Monk and Sonny Rollins. Mellé led a number of sessions recorded for the Blue Note and Prestige labels between 1952 and 1957. He also appeared at the first Newport Jazz Festival, leading a band that also contained Joe Cinderella, Vinnie Burke, and Ed Thigpen.

As a film and TV composer, Mellé was one of the first to use self-built electronic instruments, either alone or as an added voice among the string, wind, brass, and percussion sections of the orchestra. Mellé died in Malibu, California on October 28, 2004.

## Discography

### As composer and arranger

* Gil Mellé Quintet/Sextet (New Faces - New Sounds) (Blue Note, 1953)
* Gil Mellé Quintet with Urbie Green and Tal Farlow - Volume 2 (Blue Note, 1953)
* Gil Mellé Quartet featuring Lou Mecca - Volume 3 (Blue Note, 1954)
* Gil Mellé Quintet with Don Butterfield - 5 Impressions of Color (Blue Note, 1955)
* Patterns in Jazz (Blue Note, 1956)
* Primitive Modern (Prestige, 1956)
* Gil's Guests (Prestige, 1956)
* Quadrama (Prestige, 1957)
* Tome VI (Verve, 1967)
* Waterbirds (Nocturne, 1970)
* The Andromeda Strain (Kapp, 1971)
* Mindscape (Blue Note, 1989)
* The Organization (Intrada, 2010). World premiere release of the original soundtrack of the 1971 film. Produced by Douglass Fake. Liner notes by James Phillips. Art Direction by Joe Sikoyak.
* Borderline (Intrada, 2012). World premiere release of the original score to the 1980 film. Produced by Douglass Fake. Liner Notes by James Phillips. Art Direction by Joe Sikoyak.

### Film scores

* The Andromeda Strain (1971)
* The Organization (1971)
* The Manipulator (1971)
* You'll Like My Mother (1972)
* Bone (1972)
* The Ultimate Warrior (1975)
* Embryo (1976)
* Starship Invasions (1977)
* The Sentinel (1977)
* Blood Beach (1980)
* Borderline (1980)
* The Last Chase (1981)
* Hot Target (1985)

### Television scores

**Television series**

* Ironside (1968) - 1 episode
* Then Came Bronson (1969–70) - 2 episodes
* Night Gallery (1969–73) - Theme music
* The Psychiatrist (1970–71) - Theme music
* Columbo (1971–72) - 4 episodes
* Tenafly (1973) - 4 episodes
* Kolchak: The Night Stalker (1974–75) - Theme music
* World War III (1982) - Miniseries
* Fatal Vision (1984) - Miniseries
* Veronica Clare (1991) - 9 episodes

**Television films**

* Lieutenant Schuster's Wife (1972)
* That Certain Summer (1972)
* The Victim (1972)
* The Judge and Jake Wyler (1972)
* The Astronaut (1972)
* A Cold Night's Death (1973)
* The Six Million Dollar Man (1973)
* Partners in Crime (1973)
* Savage (1973)
* The President's Plane Is Missing (1973)
* Trapped (1973)
* The Six Million Dollar Man: The Solid Gold Kidnapping (1973)
* Frankenstein: The True Story (1973)
* Legend in Granite (1973)
* The Questor Tapes (1974)
* Killdozer! (1974)
* Hitchhike (1974)
* The Last Angry Man (1974)
* The Savage Is Loose (1974)
* The Missing Are Deadly (1975)
* A Cry for Help (1975)
* The Imposter (1975)
* Crime Club (1975)
* Death Scream (1975)
* The Art of Crime (1975)
* Dynasty (1976)
* Perilous Voyage (1976)
* Gold of the Amazon Women (1979)
* A Vacation in Hell (1979)
* Attica (1980)
* The Curse of King Tut's Tomb (1980)
* Rape and Marriage: The Rideout Case (1980)
* The Intruder Within (1981)
* Through Naked Eyes (1983)
* Jealousy (1984)
* Best Kept Secrets (1984)
* Flight 90: Disaster on the Potomac (1984)
* Sweet Revenge (1984)
* Starcrossed (1985)
* When Dreams Come True (1985)
* Killer in the Mirror (1986)
* The Deliberate Stranger (1986)
* Circle of Violence: A Family Drama (1986)
* Stillwatch (1987)
* The Taking of Flight 847: The Uli Derickson Story (1988)
* From the Dead of Night (1989)
* The Case Of The Hillside Stranglers (1989)
* So Proudly We Hail (1990)
* Good Cops, Bad Cops (1990)
* Fire: Trapped on the 37th Floor (1991)
* Night Owl (1993)

## Awards and nominations

* 1972 Golden Globe Award for Best Original Score: The Andromeda Strain (nominated)
