

Isaac Hayes’ signature achievement may be “Theme from Shaft,” a funky vocal performance that still resonates. However, the real beauty of this 1971 action soundtrack lies in compositions that transport us through the movie’s sequences with arrangements that merge brassy jazz with a distinctly soulful tone, earthy Rhodes piano on “Bumpy’s Lament,” and lounge grooves like “Café Regio’s” that anticipate the disco movement. Hayes was an innovator of the first order, and Shaft finds him at his peak.