Long before Lalo Schifrin became a household name with Mission: Impossible, he was a restless young pianist from Buenos Aires, steeped in classical rigor—his first teacher even “rapped Schifrin’s fingers with a sharp pencil”. That foundational intensity fueled the music in Intégrale: Jazz & Bossa Nova 1955–1962, a new 3-CD set that stitches together his first recordings and early explorations into the jazz-Latin fusion that would define his legacy.
On Disc 1, Rendez‑Vous Dansant à Copacabana (1955) lands like a secret session in 1950s Paris—Schifrin’s angular piano dancing over Latin percussion, alongside Pierre Michelot’s bass and Jack Del Rio’s shakers. Contrast that with Spectrum, where he steps into orchestral territory, strings swelling behind jazz-driven compositions like Purple Pastel and White Orchids, his soundtrack instincts beginning to surface .
Disc 2 reveals more textured contrast. Piano Español blends dramatic Latin piano lines with hard percussion in pieces such as Caravan and El Cumbanchero. Then comes Lalo = Brilliance (1962), with Leo Wright and Jimmy Raney stretching out modal jazz grooves—Kush and The Snake’s Dance pulse with the energy of his soon-to-be Dizzy Gillespie ensemble.
The story crescendos on Disc 3. Bossa Nova: New Brazilian Jazz (1962) marks Schifrin’s full embrace of Brazilian rhythms, recorded with Gillespie colleagues including Chris White and Rudy Collins. Reviewers praise the “high-caliber performers” but note that its frenzied pace can leave listeners breathless. AmbientExotica adds that tracks like Apito No Samba shimmer with “frizzling… energy and vitality”. Then Piano, Strings & Bossa Nova merges lush orchestration with hypnotic bossa grooves—“The Wave” foreshadows his cinematic flair, while “Insensatez” blooms with string-laden introspection.
From pencil-slapping classrooms in Buenos Aires to Parisian quartet rooms, and New York’s Dizzy studios to early Brazilian jazz explorations, this set captures a restless artist in formation. It traces that journey—brilliant, unpredictable, and brimming with creative sparks. Intégrale isn’t just a collection—it’s a narrative of transformation.
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