Lalo Schifin was born in 1932 in Buenos Aries, Argentina. As a composer he came to my attention for the great film and television scores he composed and conducted in the USA from the sixties into the nineties. Very often his music was the best thing about the films--especially the Clint Eastwood "Dirty Harry" films, of which I am not a fan. He did dozens of other film scores, usually in the action genre, as well as independent work in jazz and romantic music.
the official website of Lalo Schifrin
His most famous score in America was the title track and incidental music for the series "Mission: Impossible" (1966-72), usually featuring Peter Graves, Martin Landau, Barbara Bain and a repertory of good actors playing con-artists/espionage agents in an above-average spy series that relied less on flashy characters and more on genuine suspense. (More Hitchcockian than derivative James Bond.) The show benefited greatly from the hard-driving,robust tempo of the music.
Schifrin came early to music, studying with some of the best teachers in Buenos Aries. His father was a violinist with a major symphony orchestra.
From Wikipedia:
"At age 20, he successfully applied for a scholarship to the Paris Conservatory. After returning home to Argentina, Schifrin formed a jazz orchestra, a 16-piece band that became part of a popular weekly variety show on Buenos Ai-res TV. Schifrin also began accepting other film, television and radio assignments. In 1956, Schifrin met Dizzy Gillespie and offered to write an extended work for Gillespie's big band. Schifrin completed the work, Gillespiana, in 1958.
Here's Schifrin performing with Gillespie's quintet , holding forth a great piano performance in a 1959 television variety show:
In the category of spy film music, this Schifrin tile track is a very guilty pleasure. Only John Barry himself could have captured a score that brought out the pop-art best in the title sequence from the Dean Martin/Matt Helm mock-spy feature "Murderer's Row" (1966);
One of the best non-title tracks I've found from Schifrin's works comes from this piece called "Shifting Gears" which was used to set up the famous and authentic nine-minute car chase for the movie "Bullitt" with Steve McQueen and Jacqueline Bisset. (Video compilation by "Trouserparts")
And now, to bring the maestro full-swing back to his Argentine roots, here is a more recent musical work, "Tango de artardecar"
I had the original "Music for Mission: Impossible" on Dot records from back in 196??? It was one of my favorite albums growing up.
ReplyDeleteI loved the music from that show as well. I even made a dopey Super 8 movie with a couple friends back in the 70's that tried to utilize the swift editing style featured in the opening of the show. I'm sure we weren't the only ones inspired by that. There was a cello solos based on on the theme that was used from time to time. All the music was first-rate.
ReplyDeleteAh music of my childhood, it was compulsive stuff. Thanks for the reminders.
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome, Jim.
ReplyDeleteI like a bit of Jazz that is wonderful, Doug. To me Jazz creates a super atmosphere for a night out. It reaches places the modern music falls short of. My elder brother use to go to Ronnie Scott's club in London. Dark and extremely smokey. I wonder what they would have thought of a smoking ban in those days, smoke and Jazz went together? ;-)
ReplyDelete"Murderers Row" would have had one big drawback for me. Dean Martin! Super music though.
ReplyDelete"Bullitt", I enjoyed that and the music, brilliant doug!
ReplyDeleteThe Tango........ isn't it amazing the way the accordion sits so well with that kind of music? The earnest look on the face of the dancers sets the whole thing off beautifully. Thank you for those videos, I enjoyed that.
ReplyDeleteI'm afraid you still aren't showing up at my inbox. I guessed you would have posted something. So I put on my pith helmet and safari gear and came hunting. ;-)
Good live Jazz sure does make for a memorable evening, Cassandra--maybe the greatest of American musical influences.
ReplyDeleteBack in the 80's I went to a few of the many San Francisco jazz clubs. The City-By-The-Bay has a "Soho" style area in North Beach, just above downtown, where you could see live entertainment all over. "Bix" and "Yoishi's" were very popular for Saturday Night revels. I saw Michael Firestein once, one of the great American pianists who did an evening of Gershwin and Cole Porter. It was magnificent! Some other good performers here and there on other nights, but not of the caliber of Dizzy Gillespie or Sonny Rollins.
I looked up "Ronnie Scott's" on the web; Duke Ellington, Oscar Petersen, et al, wow!, quite a history there!
Funny, I can't imagine smokeless jazz clubs, even though they are the law in California now. I gather second-hand smoke effects were a recent discovery.
I enjoyed "Dino" back in his day, but his jokey-drunk persona has not worn well with time. I'd have rather been stuck in an elevator with him than his pal, Mr. Sinatra, who was decidedly hot-tempered and had hoodlums affixed to him at all times.
ReplyDeleteThe first couple "Matt Helm" films have their moments of kitsch fun, but they got progressively worse. Martin himself went to court so he could get out of his contract on them, which was wise since there is nothing sadder than an aged hipster consorting with women who could be his daughter.
"Bullitt" is a favorite of mine. McQueen is so cool and Jaqueline Bisset (as a fashion designer who dates him but doesn't understand his attraction to crime and violence) is also perfect in her admittedly too-brief role.
ReplyDeleteOne of the great things about San Francisco is how much of the city still looks the way it does in those stills from the 1968 film, at least in the neighborhoods (or "The Avenues" of the Richmond and Sunset Districts) where the middle of the chase scene was shot.
McQueen's film company shot a lot of those reckless-looking car chases in the film on Sunday mornings to avoid tying up too much traffic. Many of the local residents grew rather tired of all the loud motors of the Mustang and the Dodge Charger and their screeching tires zipping about in the early morn. But it was for a good cause. ;-) It was also the first American movie where the star did almost all his own stunt driving.
I appreciate the extra effort. I hope Multiply will get the bugs out. For what it's worth, your posts are coming through with my other friends so I can't figure what what wrong.
ReplyDeleteThere's a lot I don't knowc about The Tango, but its always fascinating to see through profesionals go about performing the dance.
That is amazingly brilliant fusion of Schifrin and Dizzy Gilespie Doug, thanks for posting it, I love it.
ReplyDeleteI didn't know anything at all about Lalo Schifin before reading this and had never previously heard of him, so thanks for the heads up Doug....and now to look at the other videos.
I kept hearing the influences on a teenaged Frank Zappa when I listen to this Doug, he was clearly reproducing these sounds especially at the time of Lumpy Gravy (167-68) but right to the end in reality.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lumpy_Gravy
ReplyDeleteI really like this one as well Doug, again I hear all those Zappa influences. Thanks for posting it.
ReplyDeleteYes, Dizzy's group is quite inimitable. One of the best clips I've found of his group on the 'Net. Wish I knew the name of this one.
ReplyDeleteI knew next to nothing about Schifin myself, other than a few film credits. I happened across his recent autobiography, and was blown away thumbing through it by his immense number of credits on-screen and off, and his amazing collaborations with giants like Gillespie.
And can he play jazz piano or what!
Excellent piece full of champagne at Parisian cafe's ..... to the accompaniment of a gypsy quartet in a dream of Sally Bowles. This one is less adrenalin charged and more in accord with the pleasure principle I think. Great music Doug.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the link on this one, AA. I'm very intrigued now to hear this "lumpy Gravy". I know Zappa could bring together some disperate musical forms, like Tom Waits to a degree, but it sounds like he outdid himself here if he channel this much electic fusion into one album.
ReplyDeleteI thought about the opening titles to the movie, but I think the "Shifting Gears" track is really evocative of the type of music that heavily influenced genre films like this for decades. It still sounds fresh, even if car chases as such are old hat now at the movies.
ReplyDeleteThanks AA. All credit to the composer, of course. I was glad to find something that went beyond his film work to his roots.
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