Customer Reviews

Jazz Meets the Symphony Collection

5 star:		(3)
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2 star:		(1)
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This four CD set takes you on a multidimensional musical journey. You hear tributes to a number of important jazz artists enriched with the symphonic expression of the London Symphony and London Philharmonic orchestras, all masterfully arranged and conducted by Lalo Shifrin. Added to this are a number of original Schifrin compositions. The result is an auditory feast! This CD set is a must --especially for those with a broad musical interest.

Considering the low price for a 5 disc box, this set is worth buying for Disc 3 alone (originally released as a single disc called "Firebird" in 1996 and now available in this box only) and especially the tracks "Around the Day in Eighty Worlds" & "El Dorado" which feature the Australian multi-horn playing genius James Morrison in the perfect setting. This guy is the best I've ever heard in my lifetime on all 3 of the instruments he plays (Flugelhorn, Trombone, Trumpet) and is almost completely unknown outside his native country by the general public. His solos will amaze you, literally knock you out of your seat and make your hair stand on end and Lalo's beautiful compositions and understated arrangements provide the perfect back-drop for them.

The great thing is that Lalo spared no expense in producing these albums, they were a labor of love alone and he made sure they were recorded, engineered & mixed to perfection by Dick Lewzey, one of the best sound men in the business. The sound quality is absolute tops, demonstration quality hi-fi. You want to hear what your hi-fi system is capable of, put this CD on loud and take a trip to sound nirvana. Then play it through a medium-price bookshelf system and surprise, surprise, you may have to lower the volume some but it still sounds amazing and the sound automatically calibrates itself to the more modest medium.

Orchestral jazz is a beautiful thing, and all too rare these days. If you have an interest in this type of music, or in the fusion of jazz and classical styles more generally, this is an outstanding set that you shouldn't pass up. It consists of four discs of ingenious arrangements of traditional and original music performed by superb soloists and top-notch orchestras (London Symphony and London Philharmonic). Several selections are cleverly crafted medleys paying tribute to jazz legends (Louis Armstrong, Bix Beiderbecke, Miles Davis, Duke Ellington, Dizzy Gillespie, Thelonious Monk, Charlie Parker, Fats Waller).

The four albums were recorded from 1992-98. Composer-arranger Schifrin leads from the piano, with a rhythm section including Ray Brown on bass, Grady Tate on drums for the first three discs, and Jeff Hamilton on drums for the fourth. Other featured players include Paquito D'Rivera (alto sax & clarinet), Jon Faddis (trumpet), and James Morrison (trumpet, flugelhorn, trombone). That should be enough to convince you to order this set before it disappears.

But there's more: The package also includes a fifth disc of Schifrin's conversations with the jazz soloists, recorded in 1999, and a substantial booklet describing the music, the performers, and the lives of the legendary jazz stars who are honored.

I was pleased to learn that Schifrin has continued this series, with a seventh album released in 2011. After listening to this box set, I immediately ordered the subsequent albums.

I think that the kind of experience which involves mix of classical music and jazz approach is a most delicate and dangerous one.

Lalo Schifrin and his longtime collaboration with the London Symphony did not convince me to listen to it more than some few times.

Great musicians, master performance, good arrangements but ... something's missing!

The best Lalo Schifrin you can get is on his Jazz albums and soundtracks. Don't lose them.