If I got it right, the same music is palyed in Murder by the book when Jack Cassidy and mrs La Sanka are out for dinner in a fancy restaurant, eating strawberries and drinking champagne.

i believe it also plays in the scene in "Lady in Waiting" where Columbo manages to run into Peter in the bar.

and a jazzy version of it is playing in the background at Dr. Mayfield's party in "Stitch in Crime."

this is what it says in the columbo music section of the scrapbook here on this site... and there is a picture of the album too...

"Original Soundtrack Recording

No label number, no date given (1970s). A promotional item only. White label. Full title: "Columbo - Ransom For A Dead Man plus other film & television scores composed and conducted by Billy Goldenberg". This record contains music from the following: The Harness (starring Loren Greene), Up The
Sandbox (starring Babs Streisand), Ransom for a Dead Man (from the Columbo episode) and Change of Habit (starring Mary Tyler Moore and Elvis). Impossible to find LP."

I know the one exactly ... I've even heard it used in a "McCloud" episode. It's just more studio stock finding its way into other Universal productions, but I always associate them with Columbo first.

I wrote a whole article on this.
Check out my previous post for info.

Or, go to the Yahoo COLUMBO group and search for RANSOM FOR A DEAD MAN