William N. Law Blog: M. Bernard Plays Lalo Schifrin

Born in Argentina, Lalo Schifrin (above) is a member of a small club of 1950s jazz musicians who launched successful careers composing film scores in the 1960s and beyond. The list includes Johnny Mandel, John Towner Williams, Neal Hefti, Henry Mancini, Andre Previn, Michel Legrand, John Lewis, Quincy Jones, Jerry Fielding among others. Lalo has written more than 100 film and TV scores. His specialty has always been suspense music that keeps you on the edge of your seat. If you grew up in the 1960s, you probably know his music best from TV's Mannix and Mission: Impossible. Lalo was the best friend a set of bongos ever had.

Last week, French pianist and film composer Jean-Michel Bernard released a superb new album celebrating Lalo's music: Jean-Michel Bernard Plays Lalo Schifrin (Varèse Sarabande). The album features 17 spine-tingling tracks—mostly movie and TV themes, with a few signature jazz tracks thrown in. The songs on the album are...

Mannix, Bullitt, Cool Hand Luke, Dirty Harry Suite, Lalo's Bossa Nova, Mission: Impossible, That Night, Tango Del Atardecer, The Cat, Les Felins, The Cincinnati Kid, Introduction to the Plot, The Plot, Cheketeers Suite, Manteca, Chano and Mannix Ballad.

After an initial recording session in France, Bernard (above) was invited by Lalo to record at Capitol Studios in Los Angeles. Bernard asked Lalo to join him on three pieces: Chano, Introduction to the Plot and The Cheketeers Suite.

Here's a little background on each song...

Mannix is a brassy waltz that was written for the TV detective series that ran from 1967 to 1975.

Bullitt (1968) starred Steve McQueen and featured one of the great car chases in film up until that point.

Cool Hand Luke (1967) starred Paul Newman.

Dirty Harry Suite featured music from the detective film series directed by and starring Clint Eastwood.

Lalo's Bossa Nova was recorded on a 1962 album called Piano, Strings and Bossa Nova.

Mission: Impossible was the slam-bang theme for the 1966-1973 TV spy series.

That Night was written by Lalo for The Fox (1967).

Tango Del Atardecer was written for Tango (1998).

The Cat was written for the French film Joy House (1964), and the song was recorded by jazz organist Jimmy Smith for his album, The Cat (1964), arranged and conducted by Lalo.

Les Felins was the theme to Joy House (1964).

The Cincinnati Kid is the theme for the 1965 movie.

Introduction to the Plot is the song that precedes The Plot on this album and combines Recuerdos from Che! (with a baguala rhythm) and the love theme from The Four Musketeers in Renaissance style. The flute soloist is Sara Andon.

The Plot is the incidental music that played during TV's Mission: Impossible when plotting and action was taking place.

Cheketeers Suite is from Che! (1969).

Manteca was written by Dizzy Gillespie, Chano Pozo and Gil Fuller in 1947. It was first arranged by Lalo in 1955 for Eddie Warner in Paris. Lalo recorded the song with Gillespie on several albums.

Chano was written by Lalo for Gillespie and first recorded on Lalo's More Jazz Meets the Symphony in 1993.

Mannix Ballad is a reworking of the waltz-time theme as a glorious mid-tempo ballad.

If you love Lalo's music as much as I do, this album is a must own. Jean-Michel Bernard did a spectacular job retaining the original feel of each piece while updating the music with taut, potent arrangements. And Bernard's piano is elegant and in the spirit of Lalo's own playing. On this album, even the bongos sound terrific.

JazzWax tracks: You'll find Jean-Michel Bernard Plays Lalo Schifrin (Varèse Sarabande) here.

The album also is available at Spotify for a free listen.

JazzWax notes: In October 2012, I traveled to Los Angeles to interview Lalo Schifrin at home for The Wall Street Journal (go here). After Hurricane Sandy disrupted East-bound flights and delayed my return by a couple of days. Lalo and his wife, Donna, graciously insisted I join them for dinner in Beverly Hills. I'll never forget that meal or their lovely act of kindness. We still keep in touch today.

I also wrote about the car-chase scenes in Bullitt for the WSJ in 2011 by re-tracing the route in a Ford Mustang with Loren Janes, Steve McQueen's stunt double in the passenger seat. I flew him up to San Francisco from Los Angeles for the piece (go here). Sadly, Loren passed away earlier this year (go here). Naturally, I had Lalo's movie soundtrack along for the ride. [Photo of me and Loren Janes in San Francisco in 2011]