Lalo Schifrin and Friends

So it is as appropriate as it is welcome that the latest Aleph issue focuses on Schifrin the pianist as much as Shifrin the composer. He is joined by 'Jazz Meets the Symphony' veteran, James Morrison, equally prodigious on trumpet and trombone, and tourist James Moody, who was a leading light in Dizzy Gillespie's matchless 1940's Big Band and who subsequently worked with the trumpeter on many other occasions. Schifrin is also joined by Dennis Budimir on guitar, bassist Brian Bromberg and percussionist Alex Acuna. Of the nine selections, six are Schifrin tunes. As one would expect, they testify to the rich variety of his writer's palette and range of mood; they equally enshrine the sumptuous quality of his pianism.