If you grew up during the Baby Boomer years, this 4 disc set which chronicles the music of composer/musician Lalo Schifrin is essentially the soundtrack to your life. Celebrating the 80th birthday of the famed artist, Aleph Records has compiled an exhaustive collection of sessions that features music from almost 40 films and TV shows as well as some exciting jazz and symphonic work. If there’s not something in one of these discs that doesn’t get you excited, then you should probably take up something else like macramé for a hobby.
The soundtracks that Schifrin composed is almost like a Who’s Who of hip hits. What you’ve got here are themes and titles from movies like Enter the Dragon, Dirty Harry, The Cincinnati Kid, Cool Hand Luke, Brubaker. As far as TV shows, how can you do better than the unforgettable themes from Magnum Force, Mannix, and of course the classic Mission: Impossible theme that Schifrin himself can’t explain how it got created. A respectable collection of modern classical music is represented here, but the most satisfying music for jazz fans is kept for the last disc. That one features Schifrin’s tenure as a pianist with Dizzy Gillespie’s small band and orchestra, and some classic cuts such as “Once a Thief” and the famous “Panamericana” and “Toccata” which came from the startlingly successful Gillespiana session. The width, breadth and depth of the music on these 4+ hours is inspiring and impressive. It’s definitely the music that has entered your dna over the years, making it like an old friend that reminds you of your youthful essence.
Aleph Records
www.schifrin.com