Recommendations of the Editorial team
The jazz among the great film composers of the 20th century is dead. Lalo Schifrin died on June 26 at the age of 93 in Los Angeles from the consequences of pneumonia.
A melody, written in the unusual 5/4 time, will remain connected to it forever. The topic of the American TV series “Mission: Impossible” (on German television “Kobra, take over”), which ran from 1966 to 1973. The concise beat was connected to a self-destructive watch on the screen, each with the starting signal for the sensitive orders of the agent team.
“The most contagious melody that has ever heard a mortal,” says the New York film critic Anthony Lane. Unusual for a television track that was also heard in the cinema decades later: in 1968 he reached 41th place on the Billboard hot 100 charts.
“Mission-impossible” track: blueprint for espionage and action media
Born as Boris Claudio Schifrin in Buenos Aires, he received piano lessons at a young age. He studied at the Conservatory in Paris and earned his money as a pianist in the night clubs of the 1950s. Back in his hometown Buneos Aires, he founded a jazz ensemble, which the saxophonist Gato Barbieri also belonged. The cosmopolitan later followed the jazz trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie and became a member of his quintet.
His musical journey was far from over. In 1963 he came to Los Angeles to hire in the film studio scene. The “mission-impossible” track was created here, which became a blueprint for espionage and action media. Composed after a flash of inspiration, and later excellent with a grammy
Further series projects such as “Mannix” followed. Then legendary film orders for “Cool Hand Luke” with Poker-Hand Paul Newman from 1967 (“Der Stägeme”), “Bullitt” (1968), “Dirty Harry” (1971) or “Enter The Dragon” (1973). All of soundtracks that cheered on the respective action with speed changes and dynamic jive.
Honoring Oscar for his life’s work
Schifrin got various awards in his long career, for example for “Cool Hand Luke” and “The Amityville Horror” and 19 Grammy nominations for four decades. In 2018 he was given an honor Oscar for his life’s work. Congenicially from Clint Eastwood, the “Dirty Harry” of his 1970 phase. Only Alex North (1985) and Ennio Morricone (2006) became the honor before him.
“I feel very honored by this award, which deeply touched me,” said Schifrin at the awarding of the honorary award. “My love and appreciation for cinema films started early in my life. When I was five years old, my parents took me to a film, a horror film, and at that moment I realized that he would not be so creepy without music. (…) I was lucky to work with great, outstanding directors, producers and talented musicians with music.”
Cosmopolitan in the film score cosmos
With its mix of Latin rhythms, timbres, instrumentation and melody, Schifrin is considered the cosmopolitan in the film score cosmos. Feel free to sam and quote, for example from Portishead, Hans Zimmer or Danny Elfman. Schifrin leaves his wife Donna, the children William, Frances and Ryan, as well as four grandchildren.