Lalo Schifrin and the Marquis de Sade

Lalo Schifrin, the genre-defining composer of such classic film and TV scores as Dirty Harry, Mission Impossible, and Starsky and Hutch, apparently found inspiration in the Marquis de Sade, via Peter Weiss's Brechtian play Marat/Sade. In 1966, Schifrin released an album of swinging, jazzy arrangements of 18th century classical music themes. It was titled "The Dissection and Reconstruction of Music From the Past as Performed By the Inmates of Lalo Schifrin's Demented Ensemble as a Tribute to the Memory of the Marquis De Sade." It was not a big seller.
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David Pescovitz is Boing Boing's co-editor/managing partner. He's also a research director at Institute for the Future. On Instagram, he's @pesco.

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Anonymous

I actually have this LP but have not listened to it in years. (I do still have a stereo however.) Great tunes with a jazz beat. Shifrin actually wrote a bunch of move themes back in the day.
(Damn catcha words didn’t take. How am I supposed to input an umlaut?)
Anonymous

I remember seeing a copy of “There’s a Whole Lalo Schifrin Goin’ On” in my Dad’s record collection. I’ll have to see if he still has it — I always meant to give it a listen but never did.
sigismund

Alas !! W. Carlos was here !!
Anonymous

Try early MJT and John Lewis, did cool classic mixs back in late 50′s early 60′s. Lalo’s always been a cool old man. made lots of Jack hacking for Hollywood and has always turned in cool sounds for this old man. guy must be in the 80′s somewhere nice
3lbFlax

Ah, sounds more like he was finding inspiration in Peter Weiss (as did Bob Anton Wilson in one of his CSICOP pieces).
Kludgegrrl

This has got to be a riff on The Assassination and Persecution of Marat, as performed by the inmates of the asylum at Charonton, which came out a few years prior.

(It’s a phenomenal play and will actually be performed in Toronto next month, woot!)
- David Pescovitz
  
  Aha! I didn’t know of the Weiss play. Very cool. Thanks!
3lbFlax

I looked up the RAW piece; it’s from Right Where You Are Sitting Now – “The Persecution and Assassination of the Parapsychologists as Performed by the Inmates of the American Association for the Advancement of Science under the Direction of the Amazing Randi” – and it’s excerpted on Google Books.
Jake0748

Marquis de Sade & Starsky & Hutch! FTW! :D
jacques45

Sounds similar to some of the classical arrangements by the Swingle Singers in the same approximate timeline. At least until the improvisation kicks in.

On the second listening, it reminds me more of Jacques Loussier and the Play Bach Trio.
Hools Verne

That’s exactly what I figured but I can never remember the damn play’s name.
unclefishbits

Oh joy. I have this record and don’t play it out much because of the free form between some grooves. Anyhoo.. at least Boing Boing is making it more valuable for me. Well done and huzzah.