Lalo Schifrin

Composer Lalo Schifrin, the son of a concertmaster of the Teatro Colón, was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Schifrin was a child prodigy and after spending his formative years studying with his father, traveled to Paris to study classical music and jazz. In 1955, he represented his country in the International Jazz Festival. By 1958, after forming his own jazz band in Argentina, Schifrin was working in New York as an arranger for Xavier Cugat. In the early '60s, he worked as a pianist/composer for Dizzy Gillespie. Schifrin came to Hollywood in 1964 where he began composing distinctive scores for feature films and television shows; one of his best TV themes is that of the series Mission Impossible. Since the 1960s, Schifrin has become one of the most prolific film composers in Hollywood. In addition to that, he also writes for concert halls, and is especially noted for his experimental pieces that fuse jazz to religious music.

~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide