Lalo Schifrin Albums (56)
What The Critics Say
The thriller Sky Riders (in which a woman played by Susannah York is kidnapped by terrorists and rescued by her ex-husband, played by James Coburn, who hang-glides onto a Greek island) made little impression on filmgoers when it opened in the U.S. in the spring of 1976, and no soundtrack album containing Lalo Schifrin's score was released. Thirty-three years later, Schifrin himself, on his own Aleph Records label, corrects this oversight. His music may be, as annotator Julie Kirgo claims, superior to the movie in which it was used, but it is still a fairly conventional effort making use of expected effects. Of course, there is plenty of suspense music to accompany the action sequences, especially later on. But Schifrin also takes advantage of the setting to use a bouzouki and suggest Greek folk music in "Climbers," after having taken advantage of the presence of the flying circus recruited by Coburn in the rescue for the opening "Flying Circus." A big difference in this album, assembled under the composer's own auspices, is that it provides a more coherent sense of his music as composition, with lengthy tracks running seven, eight, and nine minutes, instead of as the usual short cues that tend to be used on soundtrack albums, reflecting the way the music is actually used in films, in short bursts without development or context beyond the visuals being accompanied. Here, Schifrin's musical segments have beginnings, middles, and ends, which means this disc works better as a piece of music -- however varied -- than a 1976 soundtrack LP would have been likely to do. ~ William Ruhlmann, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
When The Dead Pool, the fifth and last film in the series devoted to the detective Dirty Harry, played by Clint Eastwood, opened in 1988, it had no accompanying soundtrack album to honor the score composed by Lalo Schifrin, who had also written music for three of the other four films in the series. More than two decades later, Schifrin corrects that oversight with this release on his own record label, Aleph, resurrecting the music recorded in June 1988 for the picture. As an album under the control of the composer himself, this, like other Aleph releases, presents a more coherent set of themes than one would have experienced in the theater or than one might have heard on a standard soundtrack album released simultaneously with the film. Rather than present the short cues as edited into the movie, Schifrin uses more complete musical pieces, either by developing them further than there would have been time for onscreen, or by putting them together in suites. Hence, this is a more listenable soundtrack album than many. That said, it is a collection of fairly conventional jazz, rock, and pop arrangements, along with a lot of music that sounds like it could have come from any number of suspense movies of the 1950s. Some of it is particularly beholden to Bernard Herrmann. The Dead Pool was something of an afterthought in the Dirty Harry series, described by annotator Nick Redman basically as a sop thrown to Warner Bros. Pictures by Eastwood to compensate the studio for the bath it was about to take on his "art" film, Bird, a labor-of-love bio-pic of Charlie Parker. The score doesn't break any new ground, either, though it is a typically competent effort from the composer. ~ William Ruhlmann, All Music Guide
'Mission: Impossible and Other Thrilling Themes'
Release Date 5/6/2008
Tracks 18
Label Verve
See Album Tracklist and Review
'The Other Side'
Release Date 9/20/2005
Tracks 12
Label Audio Fidelity
See Album Tracklist and Review
'Kaleidoscope: Jazz Meets the Symphony #6'
Release Date 8/23/2005
Tracks 10
Label Aleph
See Album Tracklist and Review
'Two Argentinians in Paris'
Release Date 2/14/2005
Tracks 16
Label BMG
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
This long unavailable record pairs valve trombonist Bob Brookmeyer with pianist Lalo Schifrin in a light but swinging Latin-flavored studio session. Although there is a formidable supporting cast, which includes Phil Woods, Al Cohn, Zoot Sims, and Jimmy Raney, the solos are primarily by the co-leaders and Leo Wright, heard on several flute solos. Following Schifrin's extended but lively "Samba Para Dos," the remainder of the date focuses on very familiar standards. Raney's solos are a highlight of "I Get a Kick Out of You" and "My Funny Valentine." The full reed section fleshes out a potent interpretation of "Just One of Those Things," which features an impressive and often humorous solo by Brookmeyer. Although this may not be considered an essential LP by the average jazz fan, it is well worth acquiring. ~ Ken Dryden, All Music Guide
