The Classic Scores of LALO SCHIFRIN

Lalo Schifrin is one of the most original and prolific musician/composers in pop music/film history. My personal introduction to his work was when I heard the iconic main theme to the 1960s Mission Impossible TV series. That score, next to the James Bond theme and Morricone‘s The Good The Bad and the Ugly, remains one of the most recognizable in the world.

Lalo Schifrin (real name Boris Claudio Schifrin) was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina in 1932. His entry into the world of music came at age six with piano lessons. In his teen years he became interested in jazz and began playing in clubs while attending school in Paris. Upon returning to Argentina in the 50s Schifrin put together his own jazz orchestra which later gained enough notice to be part of a weekly TV variety show in Buenos Aires. One of his first big breaks was after meeting Dizzy Gillespie in 1956. Schifrin was hired on to write an extended piece entitled Gillespiana for the musician, which was recorded in 1960. Lalo worked with Gillespie once again while in New York when he was chosen to fill in for an absent pianist and then arranged more original pieces afterwards. In 1963, MGM, who had him under contract, gave him the opportunity to score his first film entitled Rhino! an African adventure story.

Following his move out to Hollywood in the mid 60s, Schifrin re-arranged the main theme to the popular spy TV series The Man From U.N.C.L.E.. He took Jerry Goldsmith’s original score and transformed it into something much more cool, jazzy and exotic. This led to him creating one of the most famous themes of his career for Mission Impossible another hit series about espionage.

From the late 60s into the 70s and 80s and beyond, Schifrin’s film and TV work spanned across all sorts of genres and styles. One thing that was consistent throughout was the unique style that listeners could instantly pick up on as being his own. He became widely known for intensely bold, jazzy and funky compositions that gave the movies and TV shows an extra explosive and thrilling dynamic that made them stand out from the rest.

We’ve put together a collection of just a few of his classic Film and TV themes that we love the most. Turn up the volume and Enjoy!

https://youtube.com/watch?v=7HFakjigeFc
MISSION IMPOSSIBLE (TV)


MANNIX (TV)

https://youtube.com/watch?v=pmLFsl83xKg
PLANET OF THE APES (TV)


COOL HAND LUKE (1967)


BULLITT (1968)


KELLY’S HEROES (1970)


DIRTY HARRY (1971)


JOE KIDD (1972)

https://youtube.com/watch?v=sWqcayFYrs8
CHARLEY VARRICK (1973)

https://youtube.com/watch?v=0tcqJNKjVXA
MAGNUM FORCE (1973)

https://youtube.com/watch?v=c1KNZNGT5_w
ENTER THE DRAGON (1973)


ST IVES (1976)


TELEFON (1977)


ROLLERCOASTER (1977)

https://youtube.com/watch?v=sOR6mtOrTTY
THE AMITYVILLE HORROR (1979)

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