BOOK REVIEW - MISSION IMPOSSIBLE - MY LIFE IN MUSIC
Mission Impossible - My Life in Music
Lalo Schifrin
Scarecrow Press, 2008
219 pages + bonus 71:41 minute CD
First off, let me say that this is the latest entry in Scarecrow's "Studies in Jazz" and as such has been presumably edited, by Richard Palmer, so that the author's reminiscences therein largely reflect his career in that particular musical genre. Whilst attention is given to his work in other genres, if you are a die-hard film music enthusiast, you will find little in the way of insight or anecdotes on Schifrin's large body of work for film and tv, with basically two short chapters devoted to that side of his career.
Having said all this, if you wish to build a more complete picture of the great man and his wide-ranging musical career, this is certainly the book for you, even if the structure is a little unconventional, with it taking a somewhat haphazard route, instead of starting at the beginning and following Schifrin's life through to the present date. Nevertheless, the narrative is always interesting and often quite witty, and I certainly learnt a few things about the other musical sides of a composer and man, whose screen work I have enjoyed over these many years; and the generous bonus CD introduced me to some excellent music I had not before encountered, largely due to the fact that practically all of my available listening time is given over to film music, increasingly moreso now that so many recordings are released, where once it was quite a hunt to find a particular soundtrack, if indeed one was issued at all.
The book comes with a complete list of all Schifrin's compositions for the screen and concert hall, plus a discography and biographical notes to fill in any gaps.
Mission Impossible - My Life in Music
Lalo Schifrin
Scarecrow Press, 2008
219 pages + bonus 71:41 minute CD
First off, let me say that this is the latest entry in Scarecrow's "Studies in Jazz" and as such has been presumably edited, by Richard Palmer, so that the author's reminiscences therein largely reflect his career in that particular musical genre. Whilst attention is given to his work in other genres, if you are a die-hard film music enthusiast, you will find little in the way of insight or anecdotes on Schifrin's large body of work for film and tv, with basically two short chapters devoted to that side of his career.
Having said all this, if you wish to build a more complete picture of the great man and his wide-ranging musical career, this is certainly the book for you, even if the structure is a little unconventional, with it taking a somewhat haphazard route, instead of starting at the beginning and following Schifrin's life through to the present date. Nevertheless, the narrative is always interesting and often quite witty, and I certainly learnt a few things about the other musical sides of a composer and man, whose screen work I have enjoyed over these many years; and the generous bonus CD introduced me to some excellent music I had not before encountered, largely due to the fact that practically all of my available listening time is given over to film music, increasingly moreso now that so many recordings are released, where once it was quite a hunt to find a particular soundtrack, if indeed one was issued at all.
The book comes with a complete list of all Schifrin's compositions for the screen and concert hall, plus a discography and biographical notes to fill in any gaps.
posted by jeffhall | 4:35 AM
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